


help in need

by BlinderDevilsWoman



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Being choked by that metal arm, Bucky Barnes goes the Mr. Darcy way, Bucky Barnes is a dick, Captain America Steve Rogers/Modern Bucky Barnes, Captain America owns Black Widow's Ass, Choking, Cunnilingus, Does not follow the movie plot, Dom! Bucky, Dom/sub, Endgame is Bucky and you, F/M, Not a Steve Rogers endgame, Pining for your bestfriend's girl, Porn with Feelings, Romanogers is a Thing, Seduction, Smut, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Steve is a dad, Steve is a softie, Steve is dating Natasha Romanoff, Stuck in a love triangle with Bucky and Steve, Time travel and quantum realm, Your trainer is none other than Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:14:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 38,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27863665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlinderDevilsWoman/pseuds/BlinderDevilsWoman
Summary: You're just an unlucky one, trying to find a little luck. Frustrated and almost having given up, you take the advice of a palm reader, who tells you that the key to unlocking the luck in your life will be to help a man in need.Bucky Barnes is that man in need.Bucky needs you, but only in a way you never really thought he would.You see, Bucky loves his best friend. Who doesn't love Captain America, right? But does he love his bestfriend more than him secretly being in love with Steve's girlfriend, Natasha Romanoff? Not really.Bucky wants Natasha. Steve has Natasha. You want Bucky. But Bucky wants you to seduce Steve so he can get Natasha. In trying to find that luck that was so desperately needed in your life, did you end up putting yourself in a really messed up game? Yes, you did. Especially when feelings are caught.MATURE 18+ CONTENT - DOES NOT FOLLOW THE MOVIES STORYLINE UNTIL THE LATER CHAPTERS. SMUT IS GOING TO COME IN THE LATER CHAPTERS THOUGH, plus a lot of angst and slow burn. It's not going to be easy, neither for Y/N, Bucky or Steve.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader, Steve Rogers/Reader
Comments: 105
Kudos: 92





	1. Prologue

Nothing was going right .

This wasn’t your best year, but who were you kidding ; the past few years hadn’t been any better.

You were 26 years old, and the nearest that you had to a love life was your strong relationship and bond with your cat – yes, you read that right, your cat, Valentino. You had thought that maybe life will start looking up for you soon, but when you stood in a corner at a colleague’s birthday party, watching her shimmy against a hot bouncer, you realized that you were most probably going to die alone, having lived a boring, loveless life with no one to cry for you when you were gone, except Valentino. To top it up by a notch, you lost your job, the only good thing that you had, and now , you didn’t know if it was just another bad year, or the entire decade was going to be as depressing.

You stepped on to the busy street of Sixth Avenue, Manhattan; holding a box of your stationary. You were officially jobless today. Your heels clicking against the paved sidewalk, you pushed your way through the swarming Friday crowd.

You must have looked a sight– your hair a messy nest on top of your head, your glasses tilted over your eyes but you were unable to use your hands to even push the frame over the bridge of your nose; thanks to the box that you were carrying around. If things couldn't get worse, you almost fell to your side, your heel having snapped into two; and had a kind hearted stranger not held you steady, you would have landed face first against the cold concrete, and would be jobless, single and broken nosed.

"Jesus, that's it! That's just fucking it! I can't do this anymore," in that one second; all hell broke lose. You were done, you were tired, you were angry and worst of all, you wanted to break someone's nose. Your hands dramatically dropped the box and all the contents scattered to the ground with a crash, your hands now flying up to your hair, as you shook your head and closed your eyes, "deep breathes Y/N. Deep fucking breaths. You've seen worse than this, haven't you?"

You forced yourself to flutter your eyes open, and move the fuck on when your eyes fell on something – an LED board – outside a tarot shop with a quote on it that immediately called to you; it was like an inward calling – _Learn to recognize good luck when it’s waving at you, hoping to get your attention._

Of course; how could you have been so dumb. Maybe your luck was waiting right there for you, waiting for you to knock on its door. You just had to try.

You ran towards that quaint little shop in the corner of the street like your life depended on it; your heels off your feet and dangling from your hands, your bare feet flapping against the concrete as you recklessly ran towards the shop. The little jingle of the bell acted like a catalyst of a sudden positivity inside of you, and the warm, welcoming smile of the gypsy lady by the end of the room seated under an illumination of a mix of bright neon lights captivated your attention.

"Look at you, child. You seemed to have had a bad day."

"A bad day?" You snorted; rolling your eyes, "it seems to be a _bad decade._ "

The woman arched her body forward, her heavily tainted cherry rouge lips only puckering in amusement as her ring adorned hand came to rest on her chin, and you watched her scratch it.

"Looking for a little luck?"

"It won't be so bad to know how being lucky feels like."

"Uh-huh," she threw out her hand towards you, and you took a step closer, until you placed your palm in her outstretched hand and she nudged you to take a seat, "you're just at the right place then, _copil dragut._ "

The gypsy made you roll over your palm, as she leaned forward, curling her lips; her eyes fixed on the lines that ran along the crevice of your palm, "hm."

"See anything? Anything nearest to luck?"

"What scares you the most, hm, _zahăr_?" She licked her lip, her gaze flickering from your palm to your eyes, making you shrug; truth be told, many things scared you. 

"I'll end up dying alone, my corpse rotting away in my apartment, and no one to cry for me, except Valentino, that's my cat–"

"I'll be honest with you, I don't see a very interesting future ahead. Things might not change, I can see your cat being with you, and that's that," her fingers slowly dropped your palm, and she snatched her purse from her left, pulling out a cigarette and fixing it between her plump lips, "But it will change, for good."

"What do you mean?"

Maybe there was hope for you–

"Well, you will have all that you wish for, but you got to do one thing for it; you got to help someone in need," she tried to explain.

"Like charity? I can do that."

She shook her head, bringing the lit cigarette to her lips, inhaling the smoke as you watched her being engulfed into a whirlwind of smoke only to appear again.

"It's much more complex than that. I can't tell you when, and who. But someday, soon, someone will come asking for your help and you should not send him away. _He's going to be the key_ ; the key that will open up the genie in the bottle for you."

•·················•·················•

Today, as you sat opposite this beautiful blue eyed man, the words of that gypsy came back to haunt you – _you'll know when it is time, and your gut will answer it for you_. 

You grabbed your Starbucks cup, pushing the straw rather unceremoniously into your mouth, looking at him. 

Shoulders tense, thick lines forming over his forehead and sleep deprived bags underneath his eyes. _He was the one._ The key to your problems; you had finally found him. 

" **You didn't answer me, doll, will you help me?** " He cocked his head to one side, his messy black locks falling over his face; covering almost a half of it. 

Maybe, he only needed a good fuck. And who were you kidding– so did you. You didn't remember the last time you had orgasmed to an actual dick inside you, and not a fucking dildo. Maybe you could help the both of you. Your eyes scanned him; the way his tight fitting shirt stuck to his torso made you want to lick your lips. You could see his abs, the tshirt was so tight. 

" **Listen, I'm desperate. I am willing to pay. Tell me,** " his words ended, but your eyes followed his movement as he pulled out a cheque book (that belonged to Tony Stark) from one of his pockets, slamming it on the table. " **Name your price, doll.** " 

That warm, raspy voice sent nerves dancing up your spine. You wanted him. The very voice seemed to be pushing your mind, and your _body_ into an uncontrollable spiral. You unknowingly bit your lip, leaning forward as your palm came to rest on the coffee table, your fingers aimlessly tapping against it. The look in his eyes lingered; causing you to wonder if he could see through you and what your mind was cooking up; if he could notice that you were undressing him in the back of your mind, practically eye fucking him, right there. He seemed to have imprinted your soul with a simple mark: _infatuation._

**What did you say your name was, again?"** You asked him; absentmindedly. _Sorry, I wasn't really paying attention to what you had to say, I was busy imagining you pushing me into that stall right there and hiking up my skirt._

**"Bucky. Bucky Barnes."**

**"No way. You're him. You're the Winter Soldier. You're the fucking Winter Soldier. And you need my help?"** Suddenly, this was amusing. You skewered your head to one side, taking a sip of your cappuccino, watching the man who was so obliviously trying to hide his metal arm. 

And then he smirked at you, leaning forward, placing his elbows on the surface of the table in front of him, " **Dont make me change my mind, doll. If not you, I can line up a dozen women in here who would help me , for free. And I'm even ready to pay you good money."**

He wasn't wrong though. How hadn't you known before? He was a freaking Avenger. You mentally cursed youself for not bothering to be just a tad bit social media active. You didn't even recognise people by their faces. 

**"Alright, Soldier. Fine. I'll help you. Though I don't understand why, a man like you –"** your eyes swiped appreciatively over his torso, a smirk breaking out over the corner of your lips, " **will pay a woman for sleeping with him**." 

" **Wait. What? Hold on a minute**." 

You frowned; he just shook his head, it hitting him like a brick, right across his face. 

" **I don't need you to uh, sleep with me,** " he sheepishly ran his flesh hand through his hair, messing them up even more, " **I need you to seduce Captain America**." 


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N and Bucky's first meet isn't so graceful, or straight out of the movies. But something at the back of Bucky's mind makes him find out Y/N's number and ask her out on a date. Is the date a normal date or does Bucky have something else in mind? And how will Y/N react when she finds out what Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes wants?

"Valentino? Here kitty –"

You squinted your eyes, cocking your head to one side as you pulled the covers of your bed and bent down so you could look underneath the bedding.

"Where are you, Mr. Valentino?"

You stood up, placing your hand dramatically over the curve of your hip; your other hand holding the cat's food bowl. You went from room to room, calling out to him, looking all over – under the furniture, on top of the furniture, on window frames and on doorframes but you didn't find him.

A wave of panic washing over you, you turned around, leaving the bowl on the floor of your bedroom, and you dashed out, running like a lunatic down your hallway. Kicking the front door open, you ran out through the front porch, screaming the cat's name.

"Mr. Valentino, I swear to God if you don't get your furry little ass back here I'm gonna put you on a no carbs diet," you threw your hands dramatically in the air, gasping when you heard a low pitched meow somewhere and instantly, your eyes shot up and you saw that your cat was stuck on a tree branch that high up on a tree in your garden.

"Great, just great. How the hell did you even climb up there? Can't you climb down the same way?"

You looked at the tabby cat who looked back at you, and you rolled your eyes. This was probably the tenth time this cat had done this to you, and of course, you had no option now but to get his furry ass back down, because of course, if something happened to your Valentino, who would you cuddle up with in bed at nights?

Bucky had a lot going on in the back of his mind. He slid his hands into the pockets of his ripped jeans, and grunted in annoyance, as he stepped onto the sidewalk, his eyes fixed on the ground. He couldn't get her off his mind. _No matter how hard he tried._ It was only an hour back, when Bucky had been in a fairly good mood. He was laying on a bench press at the gym, and Sam was leaning over him, helping him with the bar when her voice sounded through his ears, and Bucky involuntarily gasped, his tongue shooting out and moistening his dry lower lip.

Sam gave the Winter Soldier a look dwindling between a visual ' _all the best_ ' to ' _please don't fuck it up as Steve Grant Rogers is your bestfriend_ ' and walked off, giving Natasha a smile.

The beautiful redhead that had her hand right inside Bucky's pants and his mind; well not literally – casually walked into the gym, donned in a black almost see through yoga pants that accentuated her perfectly shaped bum, and her well toned thighs. Bucky couldn't help but look at her, although he did try everything in his willpower not to do it, knowing well aware that she was Steve's girlfriend. His breathing hitched, his eyes almost rolling the back of his mind, his lips licking each other at the sight of her. She was a goddess, an art, and Bucky sure was smitten. He hadn't even realized that he was daydreaming, when someone placing a palm on his shoulder put a full stop to his mindless thinking.

"Buck?" Steve was looking down at him, his eyes constricted in worry; worry over his bestfriend's wellbeing.

It wasn't like Bucky didn't feel bad, and he didn't feel guilty, but he had no control over what he felt, or _who_ he felt it for. His mind, his body and the hardening thickness in his pants, they defied his brain's warning so shamelessly, that Bucky cleared his throat, and awkwardly looked away, a faint hue of red now coating his cheeks. Flustered, he turned his eyes away, subtly bringing his hand to his joggers so he could adjust the boner without being caught.

"Punk," he grumbled, in a low voice, nodding up at him as Steve grinned, patting him on his shoulder once as he found his attention being pulled away as he heard Natasha call his name. 

"Go on, punk, it's alright," Bucky brushed him off, shrugging his shoulders in a nonchalant way. 

"You sure you're okay?" Steve raised an eyebrow, as he ran his hand through his sandy blond hair. 

"I've never been better," he lied on his bestfriend's face as he slowly lifted himself off the bench press, at the same time when Natasha lazily walked over where the two of them were, and she wrapped her arm around Steve's torso, letting her chin rest against his shoulder. 

"What's up, Barnes? Having a bad day?" She cooed, her lips curled inwardly as her slender arm crept over Steve's chest, in a not so subtle way, and Bucky just wanted to groan in his obvious annoyance and walk off. He tilted his head to one side, letting his sweat drenched hair fall to his side as he gave her a faint nod, only in acknowledgement. 

"Well, Natasha, some people actually come to the gym to work out, and not throw themselves over their partners. Especially given the fact that the two of you share the same apartment." 

So this was why Bucky wasn't in the best moods as he stumbled through the street. His mind was still reeling from the fight that he had with his best friend, and although he had brushed the reason off as him having had a gruesome nightmare last night that didn't let him sleep well; the truth of this entire situation embarassed him. It was one of those moments for him, where you know that you are in the wrong but you really do not want to do anything to change it, because you are secretly enjoying the way you're feeling. 

He turned round the corner, scratching his temple absentmindedly when he heard a faint rustling sound, followed by a soft feminine voice.

"Come on Mr. Valentino, don't make me come up there to get you."

He craned his neck so he could look at the source of the voice, and that's when he saw you – or rather, he saw a girl walking around in her garden, holding what looked like a huge ladder, tucked underneath her arm for support.

In the shadowy gloom of the cramped up Manhattan apartment, you were nothing but a silhouetted figure. Bucky didn’t usually bother with even second glancing at a person he didn’t know, but today, even he didn’t understand why, but he found himself walking closer towards the fence of your house, to observe better. He pressed himself to the wooden fence, taking in shallow breaths, in an attempt not to make any sound.

You fixed the ladder underneath the tree, adjusting it so the top was now adjacent to the branch on which your cat sat, purring. Placing your hands on the ladder, you huffed, taking in a deep, lingering breath as you pushed yourself up the ladder steps, slowly moving higher and higher until Bucky couldn’t see you any more.

“Come on, love. It’s okay, I’ve got ya.” You chuckled to yourself at how motherly you might have sounded to anyone that would have been listening in on you as you threw out your arms towards the tabby cat. Valentino purred at the sight of you, and very slowly, he started walking along the branch towards the direction of your elongated arms, when much to your shock, he moved past you and hopped off the branch, landing right on the ground next to where your ladder stood, making you blink in disbelief. _Did he really just do that to you?_

"It cannot just get any worse now, can it?" You whispered in a low voice to yourself, shaking your head at the way you had just been duped, by your cat. You fed him, took care of him, loved him like your own and this is how he repayed you. He was just laying there all day long cozied up in your bed and getting fat, and here you were standing on top of a humungous ladder, and you couldn't even turn around and look back for you were absolutely scared of heights.

Bucky didn't know what was more amusing to him; the fact that a cat had just hopped off the tree and was now moving around in the garden as if taunting it's owner who was hanging from that tree branch on top of the tree or the fact that you had so confidently climbed up the ladder to rescue your cat but now you looked like you were unable to climb back down because your fear of heights had taken the best of you.

" **Looks like you need help** ," he placed his elbows on the short heighted fence, casually pressing the weight of his body against it as he squinted his eyes upwards to look at you. The first thing he noticed was the way your tight skinny jeans hung around your round plump ass, and he couldn't help but let a smirk graze over his lips. It didn't help that he was from 1940s, and even though he had been living in this new world now, the way the women dressed now never ceased to amaze him. It was like they were embracing their bodies now, and this secretly fascinated James Buchanan Barnes. 

" **You will only be able to be of any help to me if you stop staring at my butt and come in to help me, yeah?** " Your voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and the smirk that was playing over his lips vanished that instant. He ran his hand through his hair, and pushed himself away from the fence as he slowly walked around it and entered into this stranger's garden, ignoring the looks that the cat seemed to be giving him. He fixed himself underneath the ladder, placing his hands on it to hold it steady. 

" **Just climb back down the way you climbed up there, I'm holding the ladder so you won't fall** ," Bucky mumbled, embarassed that he had been caught staring.

" **Yeah, I really don't know about that,** " you said that, more to yourself than to him. Come on, you could do it. It was just climbing down a fucking ladder. 

" **One step at a time**." 

You took a deep breath and decided to follow what he was saying. He was holding the ladder for you, while you were being a sissy. You slowly lowered yourself, letting your foot off the ladder stair, and letting it now rest against the one below it. 

" **Keep coming, you're almost there**." 

There was something captivating about that raspy, low pitched voice that made you strain your ears in order to listen to it. It didn't really bother you anymore that the man probably still had his eyes on your ass. You lifted your foot again, and slowly lowered yourself but this time, the minute your foot touched the ladder stair, for some reason, your foot slipped off it and you let out a loud scream as you fell backwards. Never keep your eyes glued up the sky as you fall, and instead take a glance at the ground for the safest place to land and recover. That was something you remembered your dad telling you when you were young. Those were the times when he was your safe ground. 

But today, as you fell into this stranger's strong arms, and he didn't even lose his footing when you fell on him, you falling right into his arms like you were a basketball and he was a basket, you couldn't hide the sudden crimson blush that crept over your cheeks. You could finally see him now. His broody, straight face held no emotion whatsoever, just a little surprise. His eyes were a beautiful blue, and his soft, plump lips looked .. _kissable_ , not that you wanted to kiss them... immediately. 

" **Told you I can't do it** ," you mumbled awkwardly as he slowly bent, and your feet came to rest on the ground as you steadied yourself, hoping he hadn't seen the way your face turned red. 

Bucky parted his lips, trying to find the right words, or just words because he didn't know why he was suddenly feeling flustered. To make it worse, you had your eyes fixed on him, waiting for him to speak, and that made him lose his mind even more. Clearing his throat, he slowly took a step away, in an attempt to leave. 

" **Well, thank you for saving my fall.** " 

He stopped, but he still didn't turn around. His hands were now in the pockets of his jeans. 

" **You're welcome, doll."**

•·················•·················•

So, that was how you met this beautiful man. One thing led to another, and then finally you were sitting at a coffee shop next to him, wondering if this was a date. You had been in your kitchen trying to try to recreate a Chinese dish watching YouTube, when your phone buzzed. When you received it, his raspy voice rang out through the phone, that he wanted to meet you, at this quaint little coffee shop by the street your apartment was at. Before you could ask him how he had managed to get your number; or whether this small little rendezvous at the coffee shop was a supposed to be a date, he had already disconnected. 

What you thought of as a date, however, didn't go exactly like you had thought it would. 

For starters, you didn't know that this beautiful blue eyed man was none other than Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, a man who had lived through the 40s, fallen of a train, got his arm chopped off and was declared MIA and KIA, only to be caught by HYDRA, tortured and experimented upon for years, until he was made into the killing machine known as the Winter Soldier. 

If that wasn't all, it had hit you hard, when he had revealed his true intentions to you. While you had already thought of this man, imagined him a countless times at the back of his mind how beautiful he would look if those layers of heavy clothing didn't cover his beautiful frame, like he was a piece of exotic art, how you wouldn't mind feeling him between your legs, your fingers entangled in the mess of his hair, as his lips worked his magic on you, all he had in mind for you was using you to make his bestfriend falter, so he had a clear passageway, to get the girl he wanted. 

_Which wasn't you._

While you sat there, sipping your cappuccino, trying to fake a look of disinterest in your eyes, you knew the torture that your body was subjecting you through. This man, his metal arm resting casually over the table as he tapped his fingers against it, waiting for you to answer, if you were ready to do this or not; he was the reason you found yourself suddenly sweating, slick coating your panties and a sudden throbbing in your core. 

_If only –_

_"I want you to seduce Captain America."_

You strained your ears to hear him better, and then the realization sunk in. He didn't want you. Not in the way you wanted him. All this while, you had been thinking, all this man wanted was a good fuck, and that perhaps, with his busy Avenger schedule, he hadn't gotten laid in a long while, so he was seeking you out. But how wrong you were. 

"So you're telling me you want me to seduce Captain Fucking America? Steve Grant Rogers? The man who is clearly in love with the Black Widow? The woman who can slit my throat and end my measly little life just when she finds out that I tried to seduce her man?" 

You couldn't believe your ears at first. 

His laugh was carefree and you could see no hint or shame in his eyes. You shook your head, running your hands through your hair in an exasperated manner, downing the entire contents of your cappuccino. Bucky Barnes didn't answer your question, but instead, you saw him grab a tissue paper, and pull out a pen from one of his pockets, he began scribbling something on it. 

The next second, he slammed his palm on the tissue, moving it to you and then pulled his metal hand away. 

"Take your time, doll. Think about it. My offer stands, until midnight, tonight. If you do decide to accept, just give me a call. If you don't, you will not see or hear from me again." 

You watched, only blinking in confusion, mentally cursing yourself for having gone all silent and mute. You had so many questions but words didn't seem to come out of your throat. You placed your hand on the tissue, slowly lifting it up and sliding it into your purse.

Now, you couldn't help toss and turn in your bed, trying to change your sleeping position so sleep would come but it didn't. It didn't help that your mind was racing with all kinds of thoughts; ranging from the day you had paid a visit to that palm reader who had told you that your life will start changing if you helped a man in need; to thinking about the way the raspiness of Sergeant Barnes' voice and the coldness in his eyes ignited a different kind of fire inside of you, a fire you wanted to satiate at any cost. 

You don't know what came into your mind as you propped yourself up in bed, rubbing your palm over your sweaty forehead as you reached for your phone. It was still five minutes to midnight. You pulled out the now crumpled tissue from your purse and your fingers fumbled to dial the number. 

"Y/N , I thought you won't call," you noticed the way his voice trembled, and the fact that he was probably sleeping, shirtless, with only a silk sheet to cover his modesty, made you bite down on your lip to stop yourself from letting out a mewl.

"Yeah, I was thinking which is why I didn't call you before," you began, toying with the hem of your night dress. 

"And, what did you decide?" He replied after a pause, his voice laced with heaviness.

" **I'm in, Sarge**." 


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N has a special visitor at her home that night and the visitor is no one else but the Winter Soldier himself. And what's worse? He bought her lingerie and wants her to try it on, so he could see if she is up for a little challenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings : Sexual tension, dirty thoughts, seduction, Bucky is a dick in this chapter (;

It was bone chilly outside, so you had decided to keep all the windows to your apartment locked up. You lay sprawled up on your carpet in the living room, snuggled into your comforter, while Mr. Valentino dozed off in a corner, curled into a ball of fur. You were randomly scrolling through Tinder on your laptop, while your hand mechanically moved from the pizza box to your mouth, your teeth digging in to take a bite.

Your eyes perked up when you saw a profile on the side of the page. He was so your type – well if you had a type anyway. Tall, blond, perfect chiseled jaw, eyes bluer than the ocean – way beyond your league. Grumbling to yourself, you shut the laptop and pulled yourself off the floor, lifting the now empty pizza box in your hand.

Your kitchen was a mess, and you didn’t remember the last time you had done the dishes. The refrigerator required stocking up, and you were practically running out of beers. You groaned at the thought, dumping the empty carton into the trash when you heard the doorbell to your front door go off. You couldn’t help but wonder who it could be. You hardly had anyone visiting you, except for your dad when he was in town, or two of your friends; who were currently out of town.

You bit your lip, nibbling on your lower lip as you walked up to the front door and placed your eye against the peep hole on your door. A low gasp involuntarily escaped from your lips when you saw Bucky on the other side of your door. His hair were unkempt and loose against his shoulders, and he was wearing a dark colored leather jacket. Boy, did he look good. And here you were, dressed in your crappiest PJs, your hair resembling a bird’s nest and your face looking like you had just gotten out of bed. The corner of your lips still had tomato ketchup that you hurriedly wiped off using your sleeve and then the panic hit you like a brick shot at your face.

You didn’t know that you were beginning to hyperventilate in nervousness when the doorbell rang again, pulling you out of it. Finally, you unlocked the door, and slowly opened it for him.

“Bucky,” you mouthed, as you saw him properly. There he was; standing on your doorstep with a shopping bag in his hand, looking like a Greek God; devilishly handsome and striking, “Uh, may I come in?”

You gave him a weak smile and nodded, moving out of the way and he just strode into your apartment, glancing around, his eyes scanning the picture frames that adorned the walls in your hallway. Locking the door from the inside, you turned towards him, and he just looked at you, his eyebrow slightly raised, his stoic oceanic eyes raking over your form once before he fixed it on your eyes again. _Was he really checking you out or did you just imagine it?_

“So –“ he began, slowly extending his hand towards you, that held the shopping bag.

“What is this?” You asked as you took the bag from him, almost looking inside when a crimson blush crept over your cheeks. Inside the bag was what you could see, three different sets of lingerie. You could see a sheer white negligee, a hot pink lingerie with a thong and a black one with straps.

“You aren’t really going to seduce Steve wearing your PJs, I thought I’d get you a little something to make you look even more – “ He stopped talking, but you noticed a kind of fire in his eyes, that made you almost bite your lip, the taste of metal breaking out all over your taste buds. This man was really driving you crazy.

“I don’t even know how we’re going to pull it off James, I haven’t even met Steve in person.”

“Well, you’re going to meet him tomorrow night,” he immediately added.

“What?”

Bucky Barnes couldn’t help but give you his iconic side smirks, and this was more because the expression on your face right now was something that was beginning to make his heart race for some reason he couldn’t think of. He nodded, his eyes flicking from the bag that you were practically clutching tight against your breasts, to your eyes and he cleared his throat, “Tony Stark’s throwing one of his signature parties tomorrow. A lot of booze, after party sex, dirty dancing. We can definitely hook you up with my bestfriend.”

“And how exactly am I getting into an Avenger party?” You asked, blinking.

“Well, I’m taking you as my date.”

There was something really erotic in the way he said that to you. It wasn’t a request, it was a _command_. And it made you suddenly feel hot. As if he had somehow read your thoughts, he added in a dark voice, “Its not a request, it’s an instruction. Now there’s a few things we need to work upon.”

“What _things_?” You said, laying emphasis on the word things. You couldn’t help but feel that something big was coming.

Bucky almost parted his lips, taking a step closer to you, causing your breathing to hitch, almost, “ _Take me to your bedroom_ , doll. I want you to try out those and show me how you look.”

It wasn’t like Bucky Barnes hadn’t thought about this the whole drive from the shopping mall to your apartment. In the back of his mind, as his hands gripped the steering wheel of the car, his mind was frivolously playing the image of you; your slender, toned calves peeking out through the negligee, giving him a full view of your honey like olive skin. Just the thought of you like that had made him smirk, and he wouldn’t lie, he was looking forward to it. It wasn’t as though he wanted to do anything more to you than just see you in the lingerie that he had purchased. It wasn’t like he wanted to bend you over the nearest furniture he could find, so he could run his thick metal finger over your slick coated folds, teasing you so you would beg him for more. No, he really wasn’t thinking that. He was actually thinking whether Steve Grant Rogers will like what he saw; and if you were able to make Bucky feel something, you were sure going to have the same effect on Steve; at least that’s what he thought.

“Follow me, Sarge,” your heart was thumping like crazy inside your chest; so fast, you were afraid that it was going to pop out anytime and land on the floor. You didn’t know how to react, Bucky gifted you lingerie and if that wasn’t all, Bucky Fucking Barnes wanted to see you wearing that lingerie. A heavy silence settled over the two of you, thicker than the uneasy tension that suddenly lingered the atmosphere, at least in the atmosphere surrounding you, for you really didn’t know how he felt right now. The two of you walked down a hallway, you walking in front of Bucky as he quietly followed you, and the only sound you could hear that alerted you of his presence was the sound of his shallow breaths; the breaths that were driving you crazy, but you didn’t want to say it out loud.

You ushered Mr. Valentino out of the way as you stepped into your room, and Bucky cleared his throat as he stepped into the confines of your privacy. It was only just now that you realized that this was the first time you had a man over in your bedroom, however not in a way it is usually done. The situation was so different, and it made you wonder how you had landed yourself into this situation. You were pulled out of your thoughts when you heard the swooshing of fabric, which caused you to turn around and see that Bucky had comfortably lowered himself against the armchair in your room, his legs spread apart; manspreading while his metal hand had come to rest against his thigh, his foot tapping up and down impatiently. 

“Which one would you like me to try on, Sergeant?”

He raised a brow, shaking his head, “take your pick, Y/N.”

You nodded, grabbed the shopping bag and stepped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind you. You turned around, facing your own reflection that peeked back at you from the mirror. Your hands shaking, your fingers trembling, you dumped the contents of the bag on the counter in front of you, running your fingers through the soft silky fabric. You wouldn’t lie; the lingerie Bucky had picked out, were gorgeous. The man sure had an amazing taste. You finally settled for the black one with straps that felt like honey under your fingers. Your eyes fixed on your own reflection, you slowly pulled off the cotton t-shirt that you had been wearing off the top of your head, letting it drop unceremoniously to the tiled floor. You then moved on to take off the PJs as you shimmied out of it. Although you did love your own skin, and your own body, you didn’t consider yourself a match for the Black Widow whatsoever. Natasha Romanoff was a flawless woman, and you doubted if her package came with a single flaw. You, on the other hand, were far from a model type. You weren’t size zero, something that men these days chased after. Your thighs weren’t slender enough and you didn’t have what was termed as a perfect thigh gap and your bum was round and plump, something that was the most desirable part in your body. You wondered why Bucky had picked you, out of all the women in this city.

It didn’t take you long to get dressed in that black strappy lingerie that felt soft, and perfect against the bulge of your breasts, accentuating the tattoo of the bird that you had on your cleavage. You looked at yourself in the mirror and involuntarily, a gasp escaped your lips. You hadn’t realized that you could actually carry this, but looking at yourself right now in the mirror, you realized that you were actually looking like fire; _if only you could give yourself a wolf whistle…_

You took a deep breath, pressing down on the porcelain sink with all your weight as you tried to calm your frazzled nerves. Right outside that door, a man was waiting for you. Swallowing your nerves like a bitter pill, you turned to the door, straightening your posture to make yourself look confident, you slowly unlocked the door and the door groaned at the hinges as you slowly opened it wide. And you didn’t miss that sharp intake of breath that Bucky took, and you were sure that it was at the sight of you.

Your eyes were trained to the lush carpeted flooring of your room, and this was because you couldn’t bear right now to look up at James Buchanan Barnes and have him look at you with even a slight hint of displeasure. A gnawing feeling that you could nearest classify as embarrassment flooded through you. You were nothing like Natasha Romanoff, neither could you ever have her body ( well you could if you decided to spend hours of your boring life working out at the gym but the most you actually spared for it was an hour a day, and then, pizza was your best companion, how could you ditch it?), and neither did you have her amazing fighting skills, a skill you knew was enough to harden these men’s dicks. You were just a normal girl, who didn’t possess any superpower, hell you couldn’t even kill a fly if you wanted to.

What you didn’t know because you were so busy staring at the floor that Bucky was almost blown away by your sight. His eyes had almost widened, the blues in his eyes looking even more prominent than they usually did, but also there was a sudden darkness in his eyes that had picked up at the mere sight of you; in the lingerie he chose. He didn’t think that he would be blown away when he was purchasing it, and he wouldn’t admit that although when he was buying it, all he had in the back of his mind was the image of Natasha dressed in it, lounging carelessly over the couch in his bedroom, waiting for him, her hand tenderly placed over the prominent curve of her hip as she waited for him to touch her. But now, looking at you, the way the fabric cupped your perfectly round breasts, giving him a tease of that bird peaking out of your cleavage; the way your hips swelled just the way he liked, and fuck, those thighs, that looked like honey; he didn’t think of Natasha, not even once.

“Look at me, doll, I want to see you pretend I’m Steve, and I want to see if you’ve got what it takes to make Captain America fall off the fucking rope.”

Your head shot up almost immediately in response to Bucky’s raspy voice that never failed to send shivers down your spine. You wanted to shout at him, tell him that you didn’t feel what you were feeling right now for Steve, but only because James Buchanan Barnes had his eyes on you. But you also knew that Bucky saw you as just a mission – a mission to get the girl he wanted. You nodded almost invisibly. You had never done this before, but there was a first time to everything. Wasn’t it? Besides you had done a fair deal of research on the art of seduction by watching countless movies.

You slowly bit your lip, in the most teasing way, your darkened orbs now watching him with just the right look of heat in your eyes. You were looking at him in a way as if you knew his desires. Bucky just leaned forward, so his elbows were now resting on his kneepads, his hair falling deliciously over his eyes as he raked over your form once again. Seductively swaying your hips, you walked up to where he was sitting, and he gave you the look, that meant that you had to work for it.

Your lip quivered, only mild enough for the man standing right there in front of your eyes to not notice, and your breathing hastened as your hand slithered towards him like a snake, and you teasingly placed it on his chest, his heart now thumping right where your hand was. You slowly pushed him backwards, the two of your eyes aligned to his, his expression dark, and his lips pressed together as his back came to rest against the backrest of the armchair. Like a deer, you slid yourself against his thighs, straddling his thighs, feeling your hand rise and fall in symphony now lined according to the way he was breathing, erratic and fast. The two of you found yourselves gazing into each other’s eyes, a sudden inexplicable communication passing through the eyes. You knew it, without him having to say it to you, that this is how he wanted to see you act.

“Not bad,” _Perfect_. He finally broke his silence, clearing his throat as he let his thick palms rest on your thighs for a bit only to shove you off him, and pull himself off the chair.

The sudden loss of contact with Bucky’s warm body made you suddenly let out a flustered yelp. His eyebrow shot slightly upwards when the muffled sound reached his ears, a faint smirk already paving its way through the corner of his lips however he chose not to comment on it. You were just a means of getting Steve to leave Natasha.

“Do you own anything fancy? Fancy yet seductive?”

You snapped out of your thoughts and immediately flung up to your legs, suddenly feeling awkward and flustered standing semi nude in front of him. Absentmindedly, your hand shot up and you ran your fingers through your messy shoulder length hair. Flinging your closet open, you hastily pulled out your robe, feeling Bucky’s eyes plastered to the back of you as your hands practically shoved through the sleeves and you wrapped the robe around yourself.

Bucky moved past you when he saw your closet and before you could open your mouth and protest, he was already going through the set of clothes that you owned, rummaging through the contents of it. All the heat that you had been feeling just seconds back evaporated into thin air just like that. It was okay bringing you lingerie, but him, so uncharacteristically going through _YOUR_ closet, through _YOUR_ clothes, and _YOUR_ stuff, made something inside of you snap.

Yet, there was something about this jerk that left you tongue tied and unable to say anything.

“This one,” he pulled out a tight fitting black dress that reached the base of your thighs. The last time you wore this dress, it was last year when you were still working for the magazine and it was the New Year’s party, the last time you remembered getting laid, a complete stranger, a night full of madness and the next morning, he was gone. And you didn’t remember who it was.

You snatched the dress from his metal fingers and he was taken aback by the suddenness of it.

“Fine, Sarge. Is there anything else?” Your voice snapped.

“No. That should be all I guess.”

“So what do I expect tomorrow?” You raised a brow, neatly placing your dress back on the hanger and closing your closet, now turning towards him.

“Well if you’re implying about Natasha.. she isn’t here. She is on a week long mission. Steve will be alone. Which is why we’ve got a week.”

“Whoa, hold on. You never told me we had a fucking deadline. And, we didn’t even decide yet on how much you’re paying me for this.”

You didn’t realize but you were now fuming, and your nostrils were flared.

“I told you, doll, you can take whatever the hell you want. I told you that you can name your price and that offer still stands. But, we can settle that once you’ve actually done what you’re here for, yeah?”

The coldness he shot towards you was met by the brick wall that you formed around yourself.

“Fine, Barnes. I will try to seduce Steve, try to get you your girl, which if you ask me, is just nasty. Because what you’re doing is pathetic.”

“Now listen here,” you bit your lip, letting out a sharp exhale as you felt Bucky almost push you into the wall behind you and his hands came to rest on either side of your head, forbidding you from escaping from his little entrapment. He continued, “Our little agreement nowhere calls out or gives you the leverage to decide about what I’m doing is right, or wrong. What I’m doing and how I’m doing it, doll, is not your concern. All you have to do is get dolled up, and try to get him into your pants.”

Tears like brittle sprung into your eyes suddenly and you didn’t know why your throat felt parched and your eyes stung. You nodded curtly in his direction and tapped on his chest and he removed his hands on the either of your side. What he hadn’t wanted was to see those tears in your eyes, but of course he had. He was about to grab your arm as you started walking away and started grabbing the shopping bag, to say that he didn’t really mean it like that when your low voiced mumbled words reached his ears, “ _Now you know the reason James, why Natasha chose Steve Rogers over you._ ”


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N is Bucky's date for the night and she finally meets the rest of the Avengers. What started as an enjoyable night turns sour when Bucky plays a game with her and she is left embarassed and on her own. Until a certain someone ( a modern knight with a shield ) comes to her rescue..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings : Bucky raised all bars in being an asshole

Loud music rumbled through the rooftop of the Avengers towers and girls dressed in scanty, semi nude clothing tumbled in and out of the place. The dance floor was cramped as men and women pressed together, grinding against each other in the semi dim lighting. In a corner by the bar, Sam, Steve and Bucky leant against the counter, their drinks in their hands. It was true that Steve and Bucky, with the super soldier serum running through their veins, could not get drunk; which was why Steve never drank. As for Bucky, he drank not because he wanted to get drunk but because he just enjoyed it, at least the taste of the expensive, exotic stuff that Tony had the bar stocked up with. And of course, there wasn't much he wanted to do.

The sour, burning liquid gushed down the canal in Bucky’s throat as he twirled the glass of his scotch in his hand. Steve had an almost bored expression plastered to his face as he looked around; rather awkwardly, his heavy built frame hunched atop a round stool as he frowned. This really wasn’t his cup of tea, but it was Bucky that had convinced him to come and loosen up a little, “I don’t understand why I even listen to you Buck. I was very much content back at my apartment, or even at the gym lifting weights.”

“Yeah, that’s literally what you do everyday, punk.”

“That, and eating up his girlfriend’s insides.” Sam began, only to be shot a glare by Bucky and a very reddened Steve who just looked away, "What? It's not exactly like the apartments are sound proof."

“The point is, if assface here agrees with me –“ Bucky shot Sam a quick glare, ignoring his light protest as he turned towards Steve again, “ You need to loosen up and have some fun, once in a while.” Bucky arched his body forward, letting his elbows rest against the counter top as he brought his drink to his lips and he took a small sip of it.

“Well Buck, one, this isn’t exactly my definition of fun and two, what kind of a man am I if my girl’s out on a mission and I’m in here enjoying myself?” Steve sighed, letting his shoulders hunch as he relaxed and looked down at the wooden flooring around him.

“I don’t see how enjoying yourself with us and at a party is wrong,” Bucky mumbled, in a low voice and Steve just sighed, pinching his nose as he looked away distractedly.

“Maybe you’re right. I should stop worrying and try to have some fun – Buck, where are you going?” Before Steve could even complete his sentence, a wide frown caked over his forehead as he watched his bestfriend walk away. He just turned to Sam, gave him a look and turned towards Bucky again, who was making his way towards a girl Steve Rogers had never seen around before. She was dressed in a tight black dress, a dress that hung over her perfectly round curves. Her short hair, like that of Natasha, fell to her shoulders. Steve noticed that the woman had her eyes on Bucky will he was walking towards her.

“You knew that Buck had a date for the party?”

“She looks decent enough to me Cap, to be a one time thing.”

Steve nodded, and stopped talking but both the men couldn’t stop staring at the scene unfurling in front of their eyes.

The music practically blasted through your eardrums when you were escorted up to the roof by one of the agents who had been given _special instructions_ to bring you to him when you arrived. You couldn’t help but glance at the lavishness of it all, champagne freely flowed all around and almost the entire rooftop was full of people dancing, some of them semi clad. Instantly, you regretted your decision of agreeing to come. You would rather have locked yourself up at your apartment, put on a nice romantic movie on Netflix and probably ran a marathon, but here you were and you couldn’t see Bucky anywhere; the only person you knew in a swarm of these unknown faces. Although you hadn’t seen Bucky yet, he sure had seen you.

There were almost a hundred women on the rooftop, surrounding Bucky, yet it was you that stood out in front of his eyes. That, or maybe he was just starting to wonder how long it would take for you to finally show up. He stopped listening to Steve altogether when you awkwardly stepped onto the rooftop, your eyes darting around which Bucky knew was the fact that you were looking for him. Leaving his glass of scotch on the counter, he immediately started walking towards you.

You finally saw him weaving his way through the half drunk crowd, his eyes freely fixed on you. He didn’t hide the smirk that was now openly playing over his lips, and maybe it was this inflated ego of this man that suddenly had your mind almost blow up in a sudden lack of what you were going to say to him once he reached you, and made you blush profusely.

The minute you and Bucky were close enough, Bucky’s metal arm came to rest on the low of your back as he pulled you into him, his lips almost brushing the side of your neck, and your earlobe, your faint fragrance of lavender flooding through his nostrils, as he screamed over the blaring music, “You look nice, doll.”

You couldn’t help but let out a giggle when you heard him, something which caused you to almost throw back your head and laugh, as Bucky still held you close to him, which you knew was just for show – you could practically see two sets of eyes fixed on your little meet and greet with Bucky – _Steve and Sam’s eyes._

“Tell me James, do you really mean that or is it just for show? Though I doubt that your Captain can hear you from this far, and that too over all this music.”

Bucky finally took a step away, his metal hand gently moving off your lower back while his eyes were fixed on you, “learn to take compliments when I mean it. You look .. nice. Now, your man is watching us. And for show, I’m gonna lean in, yeah and – “ your heart skipped a beat when Bucky leaned forward, his face now inches apart, his lips hovering directly above yours, as he whispered, “I’m gonna kiss you.”

“And this is where I just have to kiss you back –“ You had barely spoken, when Bucky’s warm lips suddenly pressed to yours, leaving a taste of the scotch that he was just drinking minutes back. Involuntarily, your hand flew to the back of his head, and your fingers coiled into his hair. You knew this kiss meant nothing to Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes yet it somehow made you feel giddy in your knees. The warmth of his lips, and the slow teasing of his tongue coiling around yours and dancing along with it finally ended, but that didn’t end the ravaging that came with those lips of his. _Again, all for show_. He placed his flesh hand on your shoulder, gently sweeping your hair to your side to expose the side of your neck, his lips finding a way to your collarbone, as he teasingly placed a kiss over there.

“Well isn’t Tin foil here getting some.” A rather loud voice, booming over the blaring music pulled Bucky away from you as he licked the aftermath of the kiss you had shared with him and the two of you turned towards the millionaire.

“Tony.” Bucky deadpanned, his arm finding the low of your back again as he pulled you closer against him, and you just awkwardly smiled, looking from Bucky to Tony Stark.

“Come on, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” Tony chuckled, now being joined by both Steve and Sam, and you couldn’t help but notice the curiosity plastered all over Steve Rogers’ face. Maybe that is why you decided to play along and help Bucky out. Or maybe, something at the back of your mind wanted to see if Steve would react.

“Well Tony, this is Y/N. My date for tonight. Isn’t she gorgeous?” Bucky began, pressing his lips against your temple.

“Yeah, that’s what I was wondering metal man, how a woman as gorgeous as her decided to give you a chance.” Tony threw out his palm frivolously towards you, and you couldn’t help but chuckle at the annoyed face that Bucky made, his eyes almost darkening two shades the second you placed your palm in Tony’s hand and he bent forward and planted a kiss against your knuckles, “Welcome to my not so humble abode, Y/N. It’s a pleasure. Now you know who to find if this metal scrap gives you a hard time. I’ll be around minging with the other guests.”

“Thanks Tony, I’ll hold you up for it,” you chuckled to yourself, watching the millionaire casually walk away and start talking to a young woman about your age with reddish black hair, and a man with a stone fixed to his forehead. Oh you knew him. That was Vision, so she definitely had to be Wanda Maximoff. You turned to look at Bucky but you were confused when you saw him give you an almost glare.

"Buck, I didn’t know you were uh, bringing someone tonight.” Steve almost smiled at his friend, a soft reddish tint over his dimpled cheeks. You couldn’t help but feel a pang inside your chest; at what Bucky was making you do, and at what Bucky wanted to do to him. Steve was so clueless and absolutely in love with bestfriend, he couldn’t even think at the back of his mind that Bucky would plot something like this against him. And for what? A woman.

“Punk, meet Y/N, my date, and Y/N, meet Steve Rogers, also goes by Captain America.” Bucky’s voice, and a slight tug of his hand, at your wrist caused you to snap out of your thoughts, and you turned towards Steve, heat radiating from your rouge tainted cheeks, a low throaty chuckle escaping your lips.

“You didn’t need to introduce Steve Rogers to me Bucky, this man is practically a celebrity.” You threw out your hand towards Steve, who had visibly turned three shades redder, and was resembling a ripe but a gorgeous farm picked tomato. “I’d really like an autograph.”

“As much as I’d like for her to stay around and mingle with the two of you, I’d really like to take my girl dancing.”

You turned towards Bucky, raising an eye at him, wondering what was up with him suddenly. He had wanted you to get closer to Steve, and now he didn’t want you mingling with Steve and Sam, and rather dance with him. Bucky’s eyes twinkled and you felt him pull you closer to his body, heat radiating from his sides where your sides touched, and the two of you walked off towards the dance floor. Bucky immediately pulled your arm, and jerked you towards him, as the beats began picking up. “I didn’t think you danced, Sergeant.” The two of you were on the dance floor now and you barely realized that you had started swaying your hips to the music.

“I do a lot of things. Dancing is ‘bout one of it,” Bucky chuckled, his hand now holding you from the low of your back as you began following his steps. As the music picked a little tempo, you couldn’t help but throw your head back and laugh as Bucky twirled you around, and then pulled you into his chest.

“Aren’t you a natural, James?”

“Well,” he winked, “I aim to please.”

The two of you danced for a while, and you momentarily forgot why you were even here. A part of you had begun loosening up with Bucky, and you seemed to be enjoying his company, and so did he appear to. However, as the song came to an end, so did this little act that Bucky had played out so well. Slithering his hand through your waist, he pulled you away from the deafening crowd as he walked the two of you to the edge, that overlooked the entire city of Manhattan. On your way, he stopped one of the servers and pulled out two flutes of champagne, handing one to you as the two of you fixed yourselves in a quiet corner. Biting your lip, you brought up the flute to the corner of your lips and took a sip of the extravagant champagne, licking your lips almost immediately.

“What do you want Bucky? I thought you wanted me to mingle, especially with Steve?”

“You really weren’t doing that, were you doll? You were flirting with that millionaire’s sodden ass,” Bucky’s head snapped towards Tony Stark, and at the exact same time, Tony threw back his head and laughed at a joke, his eyes falling on you as he gave you a playful wink and then looked away, causing Bucky to fume even more. If you didn’t know better, you could say that he was jealous.

“I really cannot just ignore the man because you clearly despise him, Barnes.”

“Whatever, who the hell cares. Why I brought you here is because its time.” You turned towards him, your eyebrow automatically shooting upwards in a sudden inquisitiveness and he smiled, bringing his flute to his lips as he continued, “its time to up your game and make your first move.”

“What – “

“Come on – “ You almost yelped when Bucky took your arm, it wasn’t rough but it was so sudden that it took you back. The excitement that you could see in the way that James Buchanan Barnes was hopping his way through the crowd, something burned in the pit of your stomach, that something called dread. There was something really mischievous about the way he was behaving and you had no idea what he was going to do.

“Bucky what are you – “

“You do realize that something like that can jeopardize you. You knew what you were getting yourself into, doll, weren’t you? You knew who I was and you knew the baggage that comes along with me.”

“B..Bucky..what are you – “ his fingers suddenly dug into the side of your arms and it finally dawned on you that Bucky was just acting; well not exactly the kind of a roleplay that would send your heart racing and make you look forward to it. What the fuck was he even saying? The music had stopped blaring and you could feel piercing, burning eyes that were fixed on the two of you.

“Don’t pretend we didn’t have this discussion, Y/N.” His grip tightened on your arms and he almost shook you.

“Barnes, everyone’s watching us.. Can we take this inside?” You could see from the corner of your eyes that Tony and Steve had almost made their way towards where the two of you were standing by the pool, with Sam just a few steps behind them as they all watched the little scene unfurl, wondering what the hell on earth was going on between you and Bucky Barnes.

“No doll, I’m having this discussion with you right now, because you really need to get it into your head. I’m not someone that can give you all that you ‘ave cooked up into your pretty little head.”

Bucky was seriously starting to piss you off now, so much so that you jerked his hands that were gripping your shoulders and you pushed him slightly, your fisted palms smacking him the chest, causing him to involuntarily take a step away, his eyes burning into you.

“You know what your fucking problem is, James. You pretend to live in your own shallow little world, that you yourself have created, blaming everything on you having been nothing but a lab rat but the truth is, you’re just scared to let go and move on.” You practically spat the words, ignoring the sudden relentless shaking of your body as you placed your pointed index finger in Bucky’s chest and almost dug your nail into his chest. The minute those words, however, escaped your lips, you realized that you had perhaps said a little too much for Steve was almost looking at you, his eyes widened beyond belief and he shook his head slightly, trying to get you to shut up, while Bucky’s lips dangerously pressed together and the look that he gave you was similar to a death sentence.

“Why don’t you try it? Nominate yourself and spend fuckin’ years of your life just waking up, getting tortured and going back to sleep? The problem with you people is – “ He grabbed your arms again, but this time there was no gentleness in his grip, and the metal in his hand almost stung into your skin, and you knew that tomorrow you were going to have a nasty bruise on your arm where he was holding you, “ – you don’t even know what it feels like and why would you? You’ve got it all easy. You weren’t one to almost lose your life and find yourself alive, when you would have rather been dead.”

Suddenly, Bucky did the unthinkable; the force with which he almost let go off your arms caused you to fumble in your steps, and take a step backward to steady your fall, but little did you know that you were already standing by the edge of the pool. Your foot slipped, and you threw out your hand towards Bucky, trying to grab the back of his shirt but he just turned away and walked off letting you fall into the pool with a loud splash.

•·················•·················•

“What the hell man? What the hell would you do that for? You literally pushed that poor girl into the pool.”

Bucky rolled his eyes, pulling his eyes away from Sam as he brought the neck of the bottle up to his lips and swallowed a mouthful of it. He had stormed off the party the minute he had pushed you into the water, the guilt eating at the back of his mind. He knew that Steve, being the goody two shoes he knew, would jump in after you and pull you out. Little did he knew that you couldn’t swim, and you were a hydrophobic, “Wilson, stop being whiney and go enjoy the party.”

“I don’t know what the hell is wrong with you. I thought you were better than this.” Sam huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and he stormed off, leaving Bucky to stand alone on the other side of the roof, in a quiet secluded spot from where he could see you now. His eyebrow twitched, an inexplicable feeling bubbling inside of him when he saw you. You were sitting by the edge of the pool, your wet hair sticking to your frame and Steve was sitting next to you, his own clothes drenched in water. Bucky was, after all, right. He did jump in to save you when you fell into the water. He watched as Tony placed a towel over your shoulders and mumbled some words that Bucky couldn’t understand or listen to as the only thing he could see was his lips moving. Steve stood up, throwing out his hand towards you and Bucky watched as you placed your trembling hand into Steve’s and he pulled you up to his feet.

Bucky clenched his eyes shut and almost gripped the railing in front of him, a little too hard with the metal arm, and let out a deep, throaty groan as a sudden regret coursed through him. He had taken it too far, and he had subjected you through something he hadn’t even planned to.


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N shares a moment with the man that Bucky wants her to. But then why isn't Bucky happy to see her where she is? She gets into a massive fight with him and things sort of escalate between the two, leaving Bucky thinking that she is more trouble than he had thought her to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings : Sexual tension

"Come on, it's okay. Watch your step okay?" 

You had your arm wrapped around Steve's sturdy shoulder, and Steve had his palm fixed to the low of your back as he gently guided you down a flight of stairs, ignoring the fact that the two of you were practically dripping wet, top to bottom, leaving a trail behind you all along Tony's super expensive extricate tiled flooring. 

Your mind was in a daze, your eyes permeated and fixed to the floor as the aftershocks of what had happened, the fear, the trauma and the humiliation that came along with it refused to die down. Steve was understanding, and he didn't speak to you, it was like a mutual understanding between the two of you and he knew that you didn't want to talk about Bucky Barnes. If he were to step in front of you right now, you really weren't confident that you will be able to control yourself from slapping him hard across his face, no matter how pretty you thought it was. 

"Come on, through here, Y/N," Steve's gentle voice snapped you out of your thoughts and that is when you realized that you were in a beautifully furnished hallway; one side of it were what looked like apartments while the opposite of the doors were the glass walls from where you could look at the entire city, that appeared to be nothing but glitter scattered over a black canvas. 

"Friday, can you please unlock the door for me?" Steve spoke to the air, and you just squinted your eyes in confusion, when suddenly, a female AI voice sounded through the hallway, almost startling you, "Right away, Captain Rogers." 

It was only then that the sudden realization hit you, that Steve had brought you to the apartment in the towers where he lived. Reluctantly, you stepped inside, your eyes darting around and admiring the modern interior of his room. The walls were cream coloured, a striking yet beautiful contrast with the sleek modern furniture that seemed to be carved out with the finest wood. 

"Just wait here, I'll be right back." 

You nodded, as you watched the man walk towards what you assumed was a walk in closet, your eyes involuntarily gazing over his form. The now soaking wet t-shirt fit him perfectly, a little too perfectly around his broad, masculine torso and his burly biceps; before he disappeared into the closet. 

A minute or two later, Steve walked out again, but this time he was clutching some clothing in his hand as he walked up to you, his face slightly flushed as he cleared his throat, "I, uh, I didn't know about the size so I just got you Natasha's sweatpants and a tshirt. You should get changed, you might catch a cold." 

"Steve, please, you really didnt have to do that, I, I was thinking of booking a cab." 

"You're staying the night, Y/N. My bestfriend hasn't been his best today, I don't know what happened between the two of you, and I'm not gonna pry as it's your personal matter but I am angry and disappointed at his behaviour, which is why I want to make it up to you for the jerk he has been." He immediately added, before you could even refuse. How the hell were you supposed to say no to Captain America, when he was looking at you with those eyes? But then his best friend. Even the thought of him made your blood boil and your insides coil. 

"Y/N? Are you okay?" 

You immediately snapped out of your thoughts and a surge of heat spread through your face, making you reach out and grab the clothes that Steve held towards you. 

"Yeah, I'm peachy." 

Steve kept standing there for a few more seconds, just looking at you in a weird way that you didn't understand. Finally, he looked down, running his hand through his hair that were literally soaked, and you could see water droplets dripping down his neck. 

"The bathroom is, uh, right over there. I have extra blankets in the closet. If you need anything else I'll be outside–" 

"Wait, where are you going? I thought this is your apartment." You suddenly asked. 

"It's yours for the night, I anyway was planning to binge watch Star Wars with Sam tonight." He chuckled, trying to reduce the sudden awkwardness that had sprung up. 

"Steve," you suddenly, unknowingly reached out, placing your palm on Steve's bicep, almost stopping him from walking away, and he just turned towards you, his face even more flustered than it already was. This made you drop his arm, and awkwardly shuffle the weight of your body from one foot to another, looking away as you began mumbling in a low voice, "I mean, I really don't want to kick you out of your own apartment Steve." 

You kept watching, nibbling on the insides of your cheeks, as Steve's expressions suddenly changed, changing from flustered to more relaxed, and a soft smile draped over his lips as he almost shrug his shoulders, "I'm giving you no choice." He stood broad, in his _Captain America_ posture, and you couldn't help but laugh in the most carefree manner. 

"Well, you have a good night. If you need anything, just call Friday, and ask her to call me. And please change out of those clothes once I leave." 

"I know I am soaking wet, Captain, but you really need to stop worrying about all the little things in the world. 

"W-What?" 

You bit your lip, mentally cursing yourself at how your cheeks burned hot, and it didn't help when the man in front of you was just as embarassed as you were. 

"Yeah, I meant, my clothes. But so are yours. You should be changing too, before you catch a cold. No wait, you can't really catch a cold, can you? You know what, I'm just gonna stop talking now before I make a complete, utter fool of myself." 

You swallowed, not wanting to look at the burning pair of blue eyes looking down at you, almost shooting daggers into your skull. You were about to open your mouth and apologize, when suddenly Steve Grant Rogers couldn't keep a straight face anymore. He suddenly burst out laughing; his fit of laughter so bad, that he had to turn away and place his fist against his mouth to stop himself from laughing, but you could see that it wasn't working. Your lips curved into a smile at first, before his contagious laughter caught hold of you, and you were the one down next, leaning against the wall as the two of you started taking deep, elongated breaths. 

"I'm not gonna comment on whatever that was, Y/N. Because if I do, you will find me rolling over the floor." He placed his palm against the doorknob and pulled it so the door was partially open, tilting his head almost to his side, and then stepped out. As he began walking away, his footsteps retreating slowly, you found yourself pulling open the door, and stepping out into the hallway, calling out to him. 

"Thank you for jumping in after me, Captain." 

The both of you were smiling, his smile soft, and gentle while you were smiling like an idiot when Steve brought his right hand to his forehead, giving you a dramatic salute, his eyes crinkling slightly before he disappeared down the hallway. 

_You realized almost immediately that talking to Steve Rogers had made you feel better_.

•·················•·················•

"Sam, have you seen Buck anywhere? Friday? Where's Bucky?" Steve, now having changed into another set of clothes, stepped into the lounging room where the rest of the Avengers were seated since the party was over. Tony was standing by the kitchen, making himself a coffee, mumbling some barely incoherent drunk words that Steve just shook his head to, in disapproval and then turned to glance at Sam, who was practically occupying the entire couch, his feet sprawled out in front of him with a cushion resting on his thighs. Wanda was resting against the armchair, the back of her head resting against it, her eyes clenched shut as she had a horrible headache. 

"Sergeant Barnes went out Captain, he took your motorcycle." 

Steve pinched his nose, and he turned to Sam, his eyes narrowed, "Do you know why he is acting like this lately? It's like he is completely shutting me out and I have no idea why." 

"Well what can I say Cap, that man gets weirder every single day. And besides, I am still very much mad at him as you can see, and the last thing I care about is his whereabouts." Sam rolled his eyes in an obvious way, and quickly turned his head towards the television set and started randomly flicking through the channels to avoid talking to Steve about Bucky. 

Bucky walked around the town aimlessly for an hour, ignoring the biting wintery chill that lingered in the air. His steps were heavy and his hands were buried into the pockets of his hoodie. His gaze was trained to the concrete as his mind swiveled and raced at a speed faster than a racehorse. Images of the kiss that he shared with you at the party, followed by the words that you had spat at him and then the way he heard the splashing sound when your body hit the water kept ringing through his mind, making him groan and grunt in annoyance every five minutes, kicking away the stones that came in his way. 

After an hour of trying to clear his head, he realized that the only thing that was right now after all the mess that he created was to talk to you about it, or at least find out if you were feeling okay now. So, he started riding back towards the Avengers towers.

It wasn't long before Bucky stepped into the elevator as he had already made up his mind on what he wanted to do. He wanted to ask Steve if you were okay because he didn't want to face you. At least not immediately. He stepped out of the elevator, and slowly made his way towards Steve's apartment. 

He slowly brought up his fisted palm to the door, and rasped against it, waiting for Steve to open the door. After about waiting for two minutes, he frowned when Steve didn't open the door. Placing the hand on the doorknob, he twisted it slightly, frowning when he realized that the door was already unlocked. He swung the door open and stepped in, his eyes squinting slightly when he saw the empty dimly lit room, and no presence of Steve inside. 

"Punk, you in here or what?" 

His eyes slowly turned and fixed towards the bathroom door when he heard the shower go off, and he decided to wait for him to come out. He fixed himself against the edge of his bed, his elbows resting against his knees, his eyes fixed on the bathroom door as he began tapping his fingers together to pass his time.

Humming a low tune to yourself, you turned the shower off, and your arm slithered out of the cubicle to grab the towel. Drying yourself, you stepped out, rubbing your palm against the fog coated mirror so you could see yourself. Wrapping your towel around your naked body, you ran your hands through your dripping wet hair once before you coiled another towel around your head.

Giving yourself one quick look in the mirror, you quietly placed your hand on the lock and unbolting it from the inside, you slowly opened the door, coming face to face with the man whose vision made your blood boil suddenly. 

Bucky's expressions changed drastically the minute his eyes fell on you, in Steve's bathroom, his expressions failing to hide the look of shock plastered all over his face. He immediately stood up, taking two steps towards you, his eyes fixed on you, "Why the hell are you in Steve's room? Where the hell is Steve?" 

"Steve asked me to stay here." 

The look that Bucky gave you was a look of pure rage, and his eyes pulled away from you as his eyes started scanning around the room. 

"Steve's not here if you're wondering. He asked me to stay, and he is sharing Sam's appartment for the night, despite my protests to let me go." 

You saw Bucky stiffen, his fingers clenching against his side into fists. His eyes darkened as he took a step closer to you, the blues in his eyes barely visible. His hand flew up to his face as he swiped his palm over it and gave you a look you could only call a death glare. 

"You've got to be fucking kidding me. Out of all the fucking rooms in the Avengers Towers, Steve asks you to stay in his room." 

You didn't know what got over you the minute those words slipped out of the man's lips, you found yourself suddenly shaking, your hands flying to your bare arms to rub yourself. You stepped on your toes, and in that minute, it didn't matter to you that you were standing right there in nothing but a towel covering your body as you snarled angrily at him, "What is your problem Bucky? What is it that you want from me? Isn't that what you are paying me for? For getting Steve Grant Rogers to get into my pants?

"Oh did he? Get into your–" his eyes fell down, until he was looking down your bare legs, and then back up into your eyes, "– pants." 

"Even if he did, or if he did not yet, that is not any of your concern. Oh wait, it is. Because you can't wait to get into his girlfriend's pants." You spat. You didn't know why, but it felt like in a minute, your heart had stopped beating, and the way Bucky Barnes was leaning over you, looking down at you with that look in his eyes, you wanted to pull your eyes away from his magnetic pull. 

In that moment, Bucky's eyebrows twitched and so did his nose, but he didn't reply back. Instead, he took a step away from you, his eyes not leaving yours. 

"Why are you even here anymore when Steve's not here? Especially after the little stunt you played at the fucking party today," you huffed, your eyes throwing daggers at him, as your arms came to cross across your chest. Without thinking, and without waiting for Bucky to answer, you turned away from him, grabbing Natasha's sweatpants from the bed where Bucky had been sitting earlier. 

"I, uh –"

Ignoring his mindless mumbling, you bent forward as you began thrusting your feet through the sweatpants, sliding it over your ass, ignoring the way Bucky had his eyes fixed on your actions, his jaw almost agape. 

"You were saying, Bucky?" 

"I just got carried away." He replied in a low voice, that you had to strain your ears to listen to.

"Really." In a motion slower than a turtle, you lifted your gaze and fixed your eyes on him, your eyes reflecting the distilled rage that you were feeling. "And that's it?"

"What do you want me to say, doll?" His voice was uncharacteristically soft, and for a split second you really didn't understand what it was about James Buchanan Barnes that made him so hot and cold. 

"That you're sorry, maybe?" You took a step closer to him, filling the distance between the two of you, your eyes fixed on him. Bucky's eyes moved, from your eyes down to your lips, his gaze lingering there for a almost ten seconds before he pulled his eyes back up. 

"I got carried away, doll." 

"After the sick fucker you 'ave been, Barnes, you still aren't man enough to say a sorry to me, aren't you?" 

"This is why I don't do relationships, you girls are so demanding, and annoying." He shook his head, which made you even more angry than you were before. Seriously?

"Okay, hold that thought right there James, we aren't in a damn relationship. You are paying me to get your bestfriend to cheat on his girl, so you could lay a claim on her. And now you're saying you don't do relationships. You're trying to break her relationship when you can't even get into one with her." Dramatically, you threw your arms in the air, and Bucky just snorted in annoyance. 

"Oh, and you're here to judge me? Like you have a man in your life. All you have is that annoying ass cat of yours." You didn't know how it happened, or why it happened but somehow Bucky's palm found its way to your cheek, his fingers reluctantly grazing over your cheek for a bit, before he took a step closer to you, causing you to immediately step away, making your back gently hit the wall. He bent his knee so it was now fixed between the space of your legs, his metal arm now coming to rest on the wall next to your head. 

"I am fine being alone, Sergeant, I would rather stay single than be with a man that can't even be nice to a girl on a fake date." 

A grunt was followed by something that you had least expected that he would do, he suddenly pressed his lips against yours, a kiss that was far more than just a gentle one, a one that wasn't on display for anyone else to see for it was just you and him. It was rough,it was needy, his teeth grazing against your plump lower lip as he ravaged your mouth. Your hands instantly flew to the back of his neck, as you found yourself kissing him back in a hungry way, your fingers tugging at his hair until you had pulled his face away from yours, the both of you now red and flushed, your breathing accelerated. 

"Is that how you want me to kiss your bestfriend, Sergeant? Because I'm up for that challenge now." 

You placed your index finger against his chest, your nail almost piercing into his chest as you pushed him away. 

"From today, Barnes, every time you do something like what you did at the party, I will charge you an additional 100 dollars for it. Because this isn't the fucking drama I signed up for." 

You slowly turned away, making your way to the bed where Natasha's tshirt lay. Turning your back towards him, you took off the towel that was covering your body, revealing your glistening bare back while your hands fumbled to wear the tshirt, all the while Bucky's eyes fixed on you like a hawk. 

Since your back was turned towards him, you didn't notice the hint of a smirk slowly draping over Bucky's lips, as he slowly brought his fingers up to his lips, and touched them, the kiss he just shared with you playing like a repeat telecast in the back of his mind. 

He didn't want to admit, but he couldn't get your lips out of his mind, and he slowly brought his hand to his pants, adjusting it silently, without you noticing how just that one kiss had caused his pants to suddenly feel two times tighter. And he felt the instant urge to let it breathe.


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bike ride home, Y/N is finally back home after a whirlwind evening; and a night spent at the Avengers Towers. Maybe nature wanted this to happen, but a sudden weather change brings her closer to Steve, and he reveals a secret that could change her life and Bucky's life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Steve is such a softie 🥺

You wouldn't lie but you had the best sleep of your life, after ages maybe owing to the fact that Steve's bed was the softest, coziest bed you had slept it. The warm blankets felt like velvet against your feet, and Steve's pillow smelled amazing, and it gave you a hint that perhaps this was how Steve Rogers smelled like– a fruity mix of citrus and watermelons. What didn't make you feel so good, however, was the fact that this was the bed that Steve shared with Natasha and here you were, in another woman's bed, your eye on her man, even though you didn't want to do it.

You had wanted to back out initially, and you didn't want to do that to Steve, but ever since what happened with Bucky Barnes in the same room last night, and the confidence with which you had challenged him that you will finish what you came here for, it threw off all the apprehensions that you had in your mind and brought out a sudden need in you to prove to James Buchanan Barnes that you could get a man, and not just any man, you would have Steve Rogers falling at your feet. 

Your head was still buzzing with the remnants of the after effects of the crazy party last night, so groaning to yourself, you slid out of bed, your feet dangling for a bit against the side of the bed until the pads of your bare feet hit the fur like carpet that adorned the flooring. You pushed yourself up and grumbling in a low voice to yourself, you sulked your way into the bathroom to relieve yourself before you got ready to get the fuck out of here. Your cat needed you, and you were sure Mr. Valentino would have ripped your living room apart by now, the needy little tabby cat that he was.

You had by now changed back into the dress from last night, that had by now dried up. You looked at yourself one last time in the mirror before you stepped out of the bathroom,and grabbed your purse, swinging it over your shoulder as you walked yourself out of Steve's apartment, "Uh, Friday? Can you help me look for Steve?" 

A few seconds of silence later, the AI's voice rang out through the air, much to your relief, for a part of you was wondering if she was programmed to only recognise the voices of those who lived here. 

"Captain Rogers is in the gym, training, Miss Y/N. I would inform him that you are looking for him." 

Your eyes perked up, and your lips curved into a faint smile. 

"Oh please don't Friday, I don't want to disturb him. I just wanted to say goodbye but I don't know the way to the gym." 

"I will guide you Miss Y/N." 

The AI was indeed true to her words, and you were in awe at how wonderfully she had been designed, when you found yourself standing at the entrance of the gym, your ears not failing to pick up the sound of the muffled grunts coming from the inside.

Your mind fought against the reluctance that you were suddenly feeling, but you didn't want to leave without thanking Steve, for whatever he had done for you, and without saying goodbye. Taking a sharp breath, you finally mustered enough courage to step in, much aware of Bucky's presence, for you were all too familiar with the grunts that escaped his lips.

Finally, you stepped in, and needless to say, all the ruckus inside the gym suddenly died down when Bucky's eyes fell on you; facing you. Sam, who was in a hand to hand combat with Bucky, didn't notice you, for his back was turned towards you. Taking the advantage of Bucky's distraction unknowingly, his fisted palm shot out, smashing Bucky hard in the ribs, unintentionally of course for Sam hadn't realized that he was distracted, and had expected him to block the blow easily. 

The blow was severe, and Bucky was pushed back with the impact of it, partly because he had least anticipated it. His back hit the mirror and the force caused a massive crack to appear on it. Your eyes widened, and your palm flew to your lips, as you pressed your mouth together to suppress a squeak. 

"Yeah, Tony will definetely kill me," Sam mumbled, as he walked up to the mirror, studying the crack that had appeared on it. You frowned, squinting your head to one side, and you shakily took a step closer towards the two of them, but you addressed Sam. 

"You're worried about Tony killing you? But not about anyone getting hurt?" 

Sam turned towards you, his lips breaking out into a grin. 

"Oh metal man over here will take us all down before he even gets a scratch on him." 

You turned towards Bucky, your eyes meeting his, and your confidence suddenly tumbled. He was beautiful, his grey t-shirt hugging his perfectly toned abs, his body drenched in sweat, and his metal arm sticking out as he held his hip with it. Everything about him was gorgeous, except of course, his ego, which definetely was ugly. When you looked back up in his eyes again, unconsciously; you noticed Bucky's lips curved into a side smirk, for he had noticed the way you were checking him out but before he could act on it, Sam's voice reached your ears and your attention turned towards him as your eyes narrowed in a frown. 

"I'll leave you two alone to talk out your obvious issues, you can cut through that glass with all that sexual tension, jeez."

Sam smirked, glancing from you to Bucky, but you crossed your arms over your chest, giving Bucky a side eye, before you turned to Sam. 

"Actually I would rather talk to Steve. That's who I was looking for. Do you have any idea where he is?" Intentionally, your eyes flipped to Bucky, and you suddenly felt content, unable to hide that little smirk that had paved its way to your face at the sight of Bucky's face and the way his hands clenched against his sides. As if on cue, the voice that you were initially looking for, drawled through the entrance into the gym, and a strong aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled up your nostrils as you heard heavy steps behind you, "Who's looking for me? I'm here. Oh, Y/N. I was just coming up to the apartment–" Steve was holding two mugs of coffee, and you gave him a smile. 

"I was getting late, I thought I'd come say goodbye, and thank you." Your hand flew up to the back of your head, and sheepishly, like a young college girl with a stupid little crush, you started running your fingers through your hair. 

"You're leaving so soon?" Steve tilted his head, as he shot out the hand towards you, holding a mug of coffee so you could take it, and you melted. Captain Freaking America had made you a morning coffee, what could be sweeter than that? You reached out instantly, and took the mug from him, giving him an appreciative blink. 

"I've already stayed more than welcome, Steve," you began, when Bucky cut you off, in his brooding, low voice. 

"She's right for once, why don't you just let her leave, punk?" 

"I wasn't talking to you, Buck." Steve gave Buck a look of warning, his eyes doing the talking, and he turned towards you again, his cheeks a soft mush of red. 

"Whatever." He turned away, his scowl evident from his face as he started walking towards the weights, busying himself with them, his ears though listening to every bit that passed between you and Steve. 

"It's okay, Steve. I really have to go now. My cat probably set the house on fire by now. And also, I've gotta go job hunting. My landlady will be on my doorstep anyday asking for rent," you awkwardly chuckled, bringing up the mug of coffee to your mouth, as you took a small sip of it, and licked your lips in retaliation to how good it was. 

"Job hunting?" Steve skewered his head to one side, his left eyebrow cocking upwards. 

"Yeah, well. I got, _uh_ , fired recently and well, um, haven't been able to look for more jobs," you began, only to be cut off by Bucky again. 

"Or she was just too lazy to go and look for them." He stated, and you couldn't help roll your eyes at him. It wasn't like he was wrong. Ever since you had been fired, you had kept on postponing going out and job hunting, and you were almost out on your savings by now. But he didnt know that, and neither was this any of his concern.

"Y/N. How good at you with computers?" Steve suddenly chimed in, before Bucky could say anything, and his words made you glance at him in confusion. 

"Fair. Pretty good actually. I designed my own software in college good, but why?" You asked, biting your lip. 

"I need agents, I mean, _uh_ , _we_. It's just mostly paperwork, and working through systems. Please consider it Y/N." 

"You've gotta be kidding me, punk." Bucky mumbled under his breath, and grabbed a dumbbell, adjusting himself against the bench, his face turned towards the mirror. 

"Don't mind him Y/N. I think–" Sam suddenly fixed himself next to you; leaning closer so he could whisper directly into your ear, chuckling to himself before his words reached you and you shot him a look, "he is jealous Captain America is being so civil with you." 

"Well at least someone between the two of them knows how to be civil. No offense Steve." You smirked back at Sam, well aware that Bucky was listening to you, hearing a grunt shoot out of his lips. 

"None taken." He smiled, and suddenly that smile washed off his face as he cleared his throat, his shoulders straightening as he fixed his posture, his hands flying to his back as he locked them together, "Sam, please. I need all of you to behave. Especially you, Buck. We really need to hire new agents, and I see Y/N as a perfect candidate, she is smart. So I don't see why not." 

"This isn't some pity party, one woman walks through that door and you decide to offer her a position." Bucky shot back, his voice course followed by a grunt as he was working on his biceps. 

"I am not giving her a position Buck, I am asking her to come and give the interview and we will see if she has what it takes for that job." 

It was as if they were talking about you and you weren't really there. And technically, you weren't even listening for you were so lost in your thoughts, you didn't know when brittle tears began forming in your eyes. You didn't know why, and you didn't understand what it was in you that James Buchanan Barnes hated. You had never done anything to him, and yet his words pierced through your heart every single time. You didn't understand this man. One moment, he was kissing you, pressing you to the wall, ravaging your lips, and the other minute, he was treating you like you didn't even exist. 

"Y/N? Hey.. what's wrong?" 

You immediately looked up, flustered when a thick chunk of a tear rolled down your cheek, and your eyes met Steve's blue ones, that were softened and worry filled them. Immediately, you turned around, using your sleeve to wipe away that one stupid tear that had managed to escape your eye and mumbled, your words barely incoherent, "It's nothing, Steve. I just.. I want to leave," before you stormed out of the lounge and Sam turned towards Bucky. 

"Great, what the hell man. That's two times in a row of being a dick. No wonder you only do those one night stands." 

"Yeah walk away, go side with her just like Steve." Bucky swiped his palm over his sweaty face, and his eyes turned to the mirror as he looked at his own reflection, secretly thinking to himself that again he had somehow managed to be a jerk, when he hadn't intended to. He really didn't understand what was there about you, that made him act this way with everyone around. 

•·················•·················•

You wrapped your arms tighter around your shivering form, trying to warm the side of your arms as you walked down the sidewalk towards the main street so you could catch a bus. You had lied back inside, telling Sam that you had already booked a cab so they would let you go. Due to it being the holiday season, no cabs were available, so you were on your own. 

Your heels clicking against the concrete, you ran your hands through your hair once, and then pulled your dress lower, as you kept feeling it move up your thighs as you walked, making you begin to feel uncomfortable. Suddenly, the whizzing sound of a motorcycle caught your attention, and then a honk made you pause, and your head to snap in that direction. 

"Come on, I'll drop you home." 

Steve had a helmet on, but his face was something that you couldn't forget. His cheeks and the tip of his nose was red, maybe because it was due to the cold, but you knew that the serum running through his veins, the weather probably didn't affect him that much. He was sitting on his bike, another spare helmet dangling from his chunky arm as he smiled at you. 

"Steve, what are you even doing?" 

He chuckled; maybe at the way your eyes had widened in surprise watching him as he brought his hands up to his helmet and took it off. 

"You didn't think I would let you walk home alone, would you?" 

You parted your lips, your throat suddenly feeling dry. You didn't know why, but your knees suddenly felt giddy, making you want to press yourself to the sidewalk so you wouldn't fall and embarass yourself. 

"I told you guys I booked a cab." 

"Come on, I got you a helmet. I follow the traffic rules, I don't race. What else do you want me to do?" He grinned, extending his hand towards you, holding the helmet so you could take it.

"Oh Steve, stop giving me those eyes, it's hard to resist those." You groaned, giving up as you grabbed the helmet and fixed it to the top of your head. Placing your hand awkwardly on Steve's shoulder, you tossed your foot over the bike, fixing yourself behind him. 

"I swear to God, Rogers, if you speed up, I'm gonna kill you. I don't do so good with speed." You muttered under your breath; but it was loud enough for Steve to pick up. 

"Yes, ma'am, I'll get you back in one piece." 

You shot him a grin but didn't reply; you knew that Steve meant it, if anyone would keep you safe, and from harm's way, it was definitely Steve Grant Rogers, at the end of the day.

 _Steve was true to his words._ The ride from the Avengers Towers back to your house was a nice one; Steve being considerate, and attentive to the traffic rules as the two of you wound your way through the traffic until he, following your not so good direction skills, finally lowered the pace and came to a halt outside your apartment. Your hands flew up to your helmet, and you pulled it off, trying to run your hands through the knots in your hair before you hopped off the bike. 

"Well, that would be me, Steve. We made it." 

"Come on, we would have eventually made it," He chuckled as you handed him the spare helmet. 

You shook your head; a smirk playing against your lips, "Oh no. Not when a person like me is giving you the directions." 

"You underestimate yourself a lot Y/N." Steve chuckled for a bit, before a sudden silence surrounded the two of you, which wasn't awkward, but comforting. You smiled at him, and turned towards your door, "Come on in Steve, the least I could do is repay you with a nice coffee." 

"If you really want to repay me, do consider giving that interview." 

Steve's words caused a frown to appear on your forehead; causing you to draw your eyes away from him. He noticed, however, and leaned forward so his elbows were resting against the handle of the bike. 

"I know you're thinking about Bucky. Listen he's just a little rough at the edges. He hasn't been the same since–" 

"Yeah, I know," you cut him off, "I know he hasn't been the same since that HYDRA shit, but how is this any of my fault? I didn't even know the guy before–" You abruptly stopped speaking; biting down on your tongue to shut yourself up before you said something you would regret. 

Steve raised an eyebrow when you abruptly stopped speaking. Exhaling, he finally spoke, "I don't mean to pry but aren't the two of you like together _together_?" 

You bit your lip, looking away from his hypnotic gaze as you smiled weakly to yourself, if only. You shook your head, lifting your eyes until you were looking at him again, "No. It was just a date. It wasn't anything, uh, serious." 

"Oh, okay. Well, I guess I should go. Do think about the interview Y/N. We'd love to have you around, and please don't let an option like this go just because of that friend of mine, who can be a jerk at times. He will come around, I know 'im." He gave you one last look before he turned on the ignition; you waved him off and slowly turned around and started walking to your apartment fishing out your keys from your wallet. What a day it had been. Unlocking your house keys, you stepped in, and made your way to the living room first groaning when you saw the mess Mr. Valentino had made. 

"Oh, Mr. Valentino, I was gone one night. Look what you've done." 

Meanwhile, outside, Steve frowned, squinting his eyes, his hands dramatically placed over his hips as he bent over his motorcycle. He had tried to start it, but maybe it was his bad day, the bike had refused to start up again; and when he looked up, he realized that dark, angry clouds had clouded over the sky, and a storm was probably on its way. His eyes flew to your apartment, and then back to the bike, before he pulled out his phone and immediately texted Bucky that he needed him to come pick him up as there was something wrong with the bike. Even before he pressed send, a heavy drop of water fell on his phone, causing his head to snap up in the direction of the sky, when all of a sudden; it began pouring heavily. 

Muttering under his breath, his hand flew up to his head as he darted towards your apartment, faster than lightning, bringing his finger up to your doorbell as he rung it twice. It wasn't even a minute before you opened the door again, holding the cat's food bowl in your head. 

"Good Lord, you're drenched again, get in, Steve. Come on." The two of you were grinning now; more at the deja vu of the situation, only this time, it wasn't the pool but the rain. You began walking deeper into your house, with Steve now following him as he began rambling, "I'm sorry, I know this isn't appropriate, but the bike just won't start. I've asked Buck to come pick me up." 

You stopped walking when you heard him, your head craning in his direction, "He's coming here." 

"Don't worry, he's just going to pick me up, we will be back to get the bike later." 

"Hm, come on. Looks like you're stuck having my special tea. I just put the kettle on." You casually grabbed a towel that was laying on top of a cabinet as if this was the most causal thing to do, tossing it in the air that he caught and swung it around his hair to dry them off.

"I thought we were having coffee?" 

"Too bad, Rogers, you lost the chance. I put on the tea instead." You deadpanned, narrowing your eyes at him in a playful manner, that he obviously caught and smiled as you walked him into your living room, picking up the torn cushion fabrics on your way. 

"What on earth happened here while you were gone? Did you have a robbery?" Steve suddenly asked you, his eyes two shades serious, his voice alert, and his Captain America mode on, which made you almost throw back your head and laugh. 

"Oh, I told you, he likes to make a fuss." You pointed your index finger towards your cat, rolling your eyes at him; as he majestically sprawled over your couch like nothing had happened. "Please feel at home, I'm just gonna quickly go and get that kettle off, might as well enjoy a cup of tea while you wait for your chauffeur." You smirked. 

"Yes, ma'am." 

•·················•·················•

"Oh my god, Steve, this is embarrassing. He is never this way with any of my guests." 

_Yeah, like I have any guests over_. 

You almost buried your face into your palms, watching from the corner of your eye as Mr. Valentino curled up against Steve's leg and he just looked down at the cat with a look dwindling between surprise and adoration; you really couldn't judge which one of the emotions was he feeling more right now.

"Come on, Mr. Valentino, will you leave him alone?" You swatted your palm lightly over the cat's butt, as Steve's low chuckle reached your ears, making you shoot him a look.

"Let him be, I actually like it. He's furry?" 

"Warm, you mean," You smirked, reaching forward to whisk your index finger through the handle of your teacup as you lifted it, bringing it to your lips.

A few minutes; _almost two_ , passed by in a silence, which came to a halt when Steve took a sharp breath, and cleared his throat to get your attention.

"I think you should speak to him," he began, eliciting a look of surprise from you in return.

"To him? You mean Bucky?" 

He nodded, "Yeah, I mean, if you want. I don't want to put this on you, because ideally he should be the one to say sorry."

You wanted to let him know, that you didn't like the way Bucky treated you but you really didn't want to talk about him. What if you blurted something you shouldn't have? Shaking your head, you put on a fake smile and took a sip of your tea, ignoring his words, "Leave me and Bucky Steve, I wanted to say sorry, I borrowed Natasha's clothes, and slept in your bed, uh, Natasha–" 

A part of you had expected Steve's face to turn red, and him to look away, flustered, however, much to your amazement, it didn't. On the other hand, the look that he gave you, it suddenly made your heart constrict. His eyes lowered, and he couldn't meet your gaze. Forcing himself to bring the cup to his lips, he took a sip and kept looking away, lost in his own thoughts. You didn't know why, you found yourself bending forward, reaching out to him and tenderly placing your hand in his to squeeze it. He had been nice to you, it was only fair you did it too.

"Hey, is everything okay?" 

He looked up, his eyes still not meeting your gaze, the look on his face making your heart snap in two, as he shook his head. 

"It doesn't matter." 

You tightened your grip on his hand; and strangely enough, he _didn't_ pull his hand away. 

"Steve, I know we've only known each other for a night? But you've been kind to me, you've helped me in ways I can't thank you enough, and if there's anything I can do for you, please don't shy away." 

He looked up, and this time, it was _his_ fingers that coiled around _your_ hand and pulled it to him, before he finally met your eyes. 

"I don't know, I think, I can speak to you, tell you things and you're a kind of a woman that won't judge." 

"Trust me Steve, I've done things too in life, and I really don't judge. You can talk to me. You can trust me." You lied, swallowing the lump forming in your throat. _He could never trust you, and if he found out the truth, he would be heartbroken._

He took a deep breath, and looked at your hand before looking back up at you, revealing something you didn't know would cause a brutal blow to your gut.

"You don't have to worry about Natasha, Y/N. I was planning to, uh, break it to the rest of the team, but I couldn't do so. You're the first person I'm telling." You blinked, listening to him, "We broke up before she left for the mission. I just wasn't ready to tell anyone yet." 

You didn't know what to say. You squeezed his hand, feeling him tighten his grip on your hand as you did that. 

"Oh Steve, I'm so sorry, what happened?" 

He gently placed your hand back on your lap, and lifted up his cup, bringing to his lips as he took a sip, before continuing, "It's okay Y/N. It was bound to happen. We, uh, we weren't compatible enough. It wasn't working out. Besides, she had her eyes on Bucky." 

"What." 

Your word came out harsher than you had wanted it to be. 

"Uh, I mean–"

"Steve, does _Natasha like Bucky_?" 

Steve shrugged and parted his lips, when the sound of the engine turning off came from outside and you knew Bucky was here. 

"I gave her my blessings, told her she was free to be with him, but then she had to go out on this mission." 

Before you could reply, you heard a knock on the front door, and before you could get up, and run out of the living room, to be able to _breathe_ again, Steve was already up on his feet and on his way to the front door. He unlocked the door, and Bucky stood outside. 

Bucky's eyes fell on Steve, the towel coiled around his neck and then slowly, he fixed it on you. 

_You had to tell Bucky this now, but you didn't know how._


	7. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The interview goes pretty well, and Y/N is in high spirits until Bucky leaks a secret to her, something that Steve didn't want her to know. What happens when Y/N and Bucky are together under the same roof once again, and both of them are overcome with a sudden passion, and need for each other's touch?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Sexual Content [ I'm gonna put a ****** from where the sexual content begins so you know.] , ANGST; this is going to be a rollercoaster of emotions.

Two days passed by sooner than you had anticipated; you had pondered a lot over what Steve had said to you. Now your luck was finally shining down on you, a job opportunity had walked itself to you, and was waiting for you with open arms, all you had to do was seek it out. Yet, deep down, you were apprehensive because working at the Avengers Towers meant having to be around Bucky Barnes, and you didn't think you were ready to do it. 

If that wasn't enough, from what you remembered, Natasha was only gone for a week, and once she would come back, from the revelation that Steve had made, she would be going in for Bucky. Could you really watch that happen, and not feel anything? You weren't even sure yet, about your feelings. They were hot and cold; one minute, Bucky had your heart racing like a man on viagra, yet there were times when you wanted to shove his own metal arm up his arse. 

Wearing an emerald green pencil skirt suit set, a blue coloured file pressed against your chest, you stepped into the familiar confines of the place you had just been at two days ago. Stepping into the elevator, you turned to face around so you could gaze outside at the city spread out in front of you, as you called out to the AI, "Hi Friday, can you please tell me where the interview is at?" 

"Good morning, Miss Y/N. Captain Rogers is expecting you in the meeting room. I will guide you." 

The meeting room was a well furnished room, and you silently sat in a comfortable chair, your palm resting against the surface of the desk in front of you as you tapped against it aimlessly, waiting for anyone to just enter, when suddenly the door behind you groaned, and heavy footsteps pushed into the room. You tilted your head, skewering it slightly so you could look, and you saw just the man you were looking for. 

"I am glad to see you considered this, Y/N." He smiled, as he pulled up a chair in front of you and lowered himself against it. You noticed that he was dressed in a blue shirt; his sleeves rolled up till his elbows and dark coloured jeans, which was complimenting the faint reddish tint natural to his cheeks. 

"Ask away, Captain. I'm sure you have questions for me." 

He faintly nodded, his eyes burning a hole into you, as he arched his body forward, his elbows now resting for support against the desk. His index pointed towards your file, and you bit your lip, suddenly flustered at how you were suddenly acting. This was an interview, and you weren't being professional enough. Hurriedly, you slid the file to him, and his palm pressed against it before he began flipping through the pages. He then cleared his throat, "Begin by telling me about yourself, Y/N." 

You sat back, trying to get a little comfortable, trying to ignore the mindless thumping of your heart. When you looked up, you saw the softness in Steve's eyes, and he nodded in your direction; in the most soft way, and instantly you felt your nervousness begin to melt away. 

"Well, it's a little complicated. I, uh, well, I am half American half Irish, my mum you see was Irish, and my dad is from New Jersey, so most of my life, I've spent to and fro between Ireland and America." You took a pause, to take a deep breath before you continued speaking, "Well, I did my schooling and my college back in Ireland, in Dublin actually. Bachelor's in Computer Science, before mum passed away and I came back to America." 

You looked up, to notice Steve studying your face with an intrigue on his face, the corner of his lips tugged upwards as he noticed you talk. Something in the back of your mind spoke to you, yelling at you that he wasn't listening to you. 

" _Uh, Steve, you with me_?" 

Your voice snapped him out of whatever his mind was on, and he immediately cleared his throat, pulling his gaze away from you, down to your file as he began mumbling, "Yeah, I was listening." His sudden curt reply was nowhere like the Steve Rogers you knew, but you kept quiet, biting down on the urge to ask him if anything was wrong. You saw as he flipped through another page, his eyes now reading through your file, until he was looking back up at you, but this time, you could see a hint of a grin on his face. More of a lopsided grin, that he was trying hard to suppress, but it wasn't working. 

"You really designed a dating website? I thought you said software." You could see that he was chuckling.

You bit your lip hard, almost drawing out blood in that act, and both your hands came to rest against your face as you buried your hands in embarassment into them; groaning at yourself. 

"It's one and the same thing, just really minute differences. What matters is that I know how to use a damn computer Steve, I know C++, Java , Python, you name it. I designed my own freaking website, a dating website." 

Steve cocked an eyebrow upwards, leaning forward and letting his chin rest against the back of his hand, as he listened to you go on and on, secretly enjoying himself. You kept blabbering about your life, your college life, your achievements, and how your life started going downhill when your mom passed away and you came to America. 

Finally, after almost an hour long interview, Steve shut your file, and handed it back to you, sheepishly running his hand through the back of his head before he stepped up and smiled. 

"I guess we're done for the day, I'll let you know by tonight?" 

"Sure." You smiled, grabbing your file as you stood up after him, noticing him slide his hand into his pocket and pull out a set of keys. 

"This reminds me," he looked at you, "my motorcycle is still parked at your place. I'll drop you home, and see if I can get it started, I just need to get my toolbox." 

"Are all men as talented as you are, Captain?" You grinned, immediately forcing your lips into a straight firm line when you saw him suddenly get flustered. 

"I don't know about the others, ma'am but I am your guy if you need to get an automobile repaired." 

His hand flew to the low of your back, making your eyes widen at that sudden touch as he pulled the door open for you to walk out. Now it was your time to get flustered, as the two of you walked out, the car keys jingling in Steve's hands. 

Right outside, in the hallway, away from either yours or Steve's notice, Bucky was leaning by the wall along with Sam as the two of them were arguing over who was going to bench press first. A sudden sharp sound of your laughter in the hallway caused his head to snap in your direction; and that's when he saw you and Steve together, his eyebrows creasing into a thin line at the sight. 

"Steve trust me, that website got popular. I'm not even lying to you." 

"Just because I'm from the 40s Y/N, it doesn't mean that I don't know how to use this thing," Bucky kept watching, and listening; as Steve pulled out his phone and shook it slightly, right in front of your eyes and you rolled your eyes at him in a playful manner. 

You kept watching; a look of amusement on your face as Steve typed something into the keypad of his phone and then looked up at you, his lips tugged into a grin, "that website ain't even on Google." 

"Steve Grant Rogers, it was almost five years ago. I took that website down. You won't find it on Google." 

Watching the two of you standing in that hallway, hunched together with the sides of your arms touching as the two of you were looking into Steve's phone, Bucky felt Sam shift slightly in place and he pressed his lips shut, knowing what Sam was going to say. 

"Look at them will you? Aren't they getting along well? Better than your grumpy ass, man. It could have been you, with that girl, but you really fucked up man, you really fucked up." 

"You know what, you dipshit, you really need to shut the hell up before I choke you with my metal arm." Bucky grumbled, his eyes fixed on the two of you. 

"Aw, cute. But no thank you. That's not my kink. You can try it with the next woman you decide to bring over." Saying that, Sam turned away, and his steps retreated until Bucky could hear them no more. By this time, the sound of Sam's footsteps had caused the two of you to finally notice him, bringing back the sudden reminder in your mind, that you had to talk to him, tell him what Steve had told you. 

"Aren't the two of you getting along real nice?" Bucky mumbled, in a low voice. 

Steve bit his lip and lowered his eyes, craning his neck slightly so he could look at you once before he turned to Bucky, crossing his arms over his chest as he stood tall, "You sound jealous, Buck, is there anything you wanna say to Y/N?" 

Bucky smirked, and he looked down, bringing his fisted palm up to his lips, as he let out a low cough before looking back up at him, and then you, "Yeah, congratulations on getting that job." 

Your simple gaze suddenly turned into a full fledged glare. 

"Yeah, I didn't. Not yet." 

"Oh doll, you'll definetely get it–" 

"What the hell do you mean, Barnes? How will I definitely get it?" You suddenly snapped, taking a step towards him, ignoring Steve as you felt him try to grab your arm, but you jerked it away, mindlessly. 

"Buck, that's enough. Y/N, come on, we've gotta go." Steve stepped forward, his hand raised and his palm held towards Bucky. 

"No, Steve, I really want to know what Sargeant Barnes actually meant by that. Tell me James, what do you want to say?" You huffed crossing your arms over your chest, taking another step closer, right at the same time when Bucky took another step, closing the distance between the two of you as he stood towering over you, looking down at you, his nose almost aligned with yours. 

"Ask your _Captain_ why you were the only interviewee and why was there a need to suddenly hire a new lab assistant for Tony when he really doesn't need one." 

" _Way to go, Buck_ ," you barely heard Steve's low voiced whisper, " _I thought you were with me till the end of the line, pal,_ " that was directed towards his bestfriend as you turned towards Steve, your eyes stretched out beyond imagination; looking at his face for answers. 

"What is Bucky saying?" Your voice was accusing, and Bucky's presence in that hallway didn't matter anymore. It was now between you and Steve. You glared at him, your eyes trained to his eyes, as he glanced down at you, trying to find the words to answer you, "You know what he is trying to do Y/N. It doesn't matter. It's just a job." 

"Yeah, a job position that actually didn't exist until I told you I was job hunting, and something you said out of pity for my poor little ass didn't you?" You pulled away, taking small steps backwards until the back of your body hit the glass wall, and your crossed your arms over your chest. 

You gave Steve a look; _a look full of betrayal,_ and forced yourself to look away. It was a good thing that the elevator door swung open at the exact same time, and you practically dashed into it, glaring at the two men who were practically drilling a hole into your skull by their gazes. 

"You know what? Bucky, I knew you were trouble the day I met you, and I don't even have anything to say to you, but you Steve, I thought you were better than this." 

You made sure that they had heard your words, over the closing of the elevator doors again.

•·················•·················•

Your hands violently scrubbed over the surface of the dishes. Loud music blared through the speakers in your home, while your cat walked around your house leaving mud footprints but that really didn't seem to phase you. Your mind was throbbing and you were still hurting, so you had decided to take your anger and your frustration out on doing something productive. 

Ignoring the loud clatter every single time you roughly stashed a porcelain plate away into the cabinet, you finally were done with all the dishes and your kitchen looked clean after ages. Sighing to yourself, you wiped your hands with a hand towel, and with slow steps, made your way into your living room, shooting straight towards the liquor cabinet. Pulling a bottle of vodka out, you twisted the cap off until you had taken a few sips of the strong tasting liquid, already feeling your head begin to get heavy, when you heard something outside your window. 

You placed the vodka bottle on the counter, and walked up to the window, peaking out through the curtains, your eyes falling on Bucky's back. He was squatting on his heels, his back turned towards you, as he was working on Steve's motorcycle, his toolbox contents spread out all around him. 

Your drunken mind suddenly felt intrigued, and you found yourself leaning against the window frame, watching him as he took off the hoodie that he had been wearing, bringing his beautiful metal arm into display. The way his arms flexed, every time he bent over the bike, pushing his taut butt out as he worked on it, it made you bite your lip hard, a sudden desire burning in you. 

**********

You found yourself licking your lips in anticipation at his sight, and you didn't know when; your hands slithered like a snake through your cardigan, until your fingers had begun toying with your already pointed nipples, tugging and curling them over with the tip of your fingers. Involuntarily, your eyes closed, and your head fell back, your eyes rolling back as you started rubbing your tits, the image of James Buchanan Barnes pressing you against the wall, his leg pressed up between your legs, his hands, and his metal fingers working on your breasts, came into your mind and involuntarily, a low meul escaped your lips, followed by his name.

Your fingers unconsciously found themselves slipping through the waistband of your PJs, your digits rubbing over your already soaking core, over the fabric of your panties, your other hand grabbing the window frame for support to hold yourself steady. 

Bucky leaned against his bike, a faint smirk playing against his lips, his hand pressed over his hardening dick as his eyes watched you by the window, playing with yourself. His dick twitched and throbbed within the confines of his jeans and he just let out a low throaty growl, desire dripping from it as he watched you play with your own tits. He had never wanted something so bad before this, but right now, all he wanted was to be there in that room, be the one to run his tongue over every crevice of your body, and feel your soaking wet cunt clenching around his already hardening cock.

As if on cue, your eyes finally opened, and your eyes widened in horror, when you saw Bucky leaning by the bike, his hungry eyes watching you, unmoving, unflinching even when he had seen you looking at him. Flustered, you immediately forced yourself to look away , but you knew that you were far too gone to back out now. The fire had already been caught on; making you take a step away, and then another until you found yourself running down your hallway, unceremoniously until you unlocked your front door, and pressed yourself against the wall, waiting for him to take the signal and get into your apartment.

It wasn't even two full minutes, when your door groaned at the hinges and slowly opened, to reveal Bucky's striding form, his eyes trained to his front as he stepped into the confines of your home and locked the door.

The two of you practically slammed into each other, your lips ramming into his, wrestling to take off each other's clothes, your hands trying to pull off his hoodie while his hands raked over your sides, trying to pry off the cardigan that covered you, both of you panting heavy, between kissing him with passion, and taking breaths in between. 

"Liked what you saw, Barnes?" You mumbled between the kiss, as his hands latched to your butt, and he kneaded your ass with his hands, his front grinding into you in a needy way.

"The only thing I wanna know right now, doll, is what got you so hot and bothered, that you couldn't keep your hands to yourself?" He mumbled against your ear, his voice hot and laced with desire, that made your insides throb, while his hands worked fervently to pry your PJs off your legs so he could feel you naked under his touch.

You groaned when you felt him lift you up, his cold metal hand stinging against your ass as he held you pressed against the wall, your feet locked around his waist, as you slurred back, "I will .. not satisfy your ego, Barnes. But you should be intelligent enough to know what triggered me." 

"Fuck, Y/N, I don't understand what you do to me, doll."

His words rang through your head, again and again, as he walked the two of you towards your bedroom, slamming the door shut with his foot on his way in as he practically threw you over your bed. He knelt down against your bed, and his hands came to grab your feet, pulling you to him so he was now parallel to your core. 

It was your drunk unconscious mind and your lips that were suddenly doing the talking, ".. I haven't been able to get you off my mind for a while now, Barnes, despite the kind of a dick you've been to me..."

His fingers hooked to the side of your panties as he pulled them down, so he could take a look at your glistening core; his lips latching on to the insides of your thighs as he began to pepper your thighs with kisses, your hands flying to the top of his head and your fingers coiling into his hair. He looked up for a brief second, watching you with a smirk playing against his lips, "I can see that, doll. You're already so wet for me, I haven't even touched you yet. I want nothing more than to lap up all that and have you drippin' over my mouth."

Your head fell back, as you felt him stop peppering kisses against your thighs, and instead licked over your folds, pressing his tongue down against your clit. "Bucky," you moaned. 

"I could eat you up all day, doll," he mumbled, his tongue now slurping around your folds, making your legs feel like jelly and go rigid with heat pooling into your core at the same time. If that wasn't enough to tip you all over the edge, your eyes almost bobbed out with pleasure when you felt his cold metal finger slide through your folds as he slowly built up the momentum. 

You were almost close, and you knew if Bucky kept going the way he was, your orgasm will come washing over you, and you will cum all over Bucky's mouth. Your fingers were about to hook themselves to his locks and pull his head against your clit, when Steve 's words suddenly came crashing into your mind. 

_We broke up, because Natasha likes Bucky_. 

You pushed him away abruptly; pressing your legs together as you pulled yourself to the end of the bed, away from him, ignoring the sudden throbbing of your core, your body fervently revolting against the sudden lack of his lips on you. Bucky let out a grunt, followed by his eyes looking up at you with confusion as he knelt by your bed, his bare chest glistening underneath the dim lighting of your bedroom. 

"Did I do something wrong? Did I hurt you? Did my arm– " He looked down at his arm, and then his fingers that were coated with your slick and he looked back up, slowly lifting himself off the floor as he reluctantly took a step closer, his eyes cautious now. He was expecting you to move away, but you didn't, however he noticed you pull up your knees to your chest and lock your arms around it before you took a sharp breath, and mumbled, "No, you didn't...hurt me. It's just, there's something you need to know." 

He kept looking at you with confusion filled eyes as he lowered himself against the edge of your bed, and turned to look at you, nudging you with his eyes to speak. 

"I can't do this.. I can't.." 

"I thought you wanted this." He motioned in a to and fro motion between the two of you with his index finger, his eyes fixed on you. 

"I can't fucking do this, Bucky. There's something you need to know. Something that Steve told me– " 

"Oh, it's about Steve Rogers, ain't it? The two of you _fucked_ already? I thought that would take days to happen, but look at how fast the two of you were. When did this fucking happen?" 

Your nostrils flared in anger when his words suddenly hit you. You didn't care suddenly that you were topless; when you reached out involuntarily and your hand backhanded his face, the sound of your slap echoing through your room. 

"How dare you, you _motherfucker_ , you _fucking bastard_." 

His hand flew up to his cheek, his eyes raging as he looked at you, almost ready to jump on you. You could see his eyebrows twitch, and you could sense that he was struggling to contain whatever it was that was running through his mind. 

_You didn't care–_

"I didn't _fucking sleep_ with Steve. There's _nothing_ between me and Steve. And all I wanted to tell you, you sick bastard, was what Steve told me. He and Natasha broke up before she left for this mission," you paused only for a breath, before words tumbled out of your mouth uncontrollably, along with the sobs that you had been holding in for long, "Natasha and Steve ended their relationship because Natasha likes you Bucky. Well, you've got what you fucking wanted. And that is what I wanted to tell you." 

Hurriedly, you got out of bed, and ran out of your room, to where your clothes had been strewn all over the floor. You grabbed your cardigan, pushing it over your head and pulling it over your body, before you pulled your pajamas over your bare legs, when Bucky walked out of your bedroom, his face holding a haunted look, his eyes trained to anywhere but you.

Finally, he fixed himself by your door, unlocking it, and without looking at you, he said, "I guess that says it all. Your job's done. You don't have to seduce Steve anymore. And your money, I'll send it over once Natasha's back. We're done, Y/N."

With that, he was gone, and with weak steps, you pushed yourself to walk back into your bedroom and curl up against your sides on your bed, tears of dejection freely falling down your cheeks as you grabbed your phone with shaky hands. 

You flicked your phone open and saw a text from Steve. 

_**Steve: Hey Y/N. I just wanted to check on you. And tell you I'm sorry.** _

You regretted meeting Bucky Barnes. You wished, in that moment, that you could go back to what your life was before you had met him. That man had just walked out of your life; and this was how it was meant to be, but little had you known, that you would end up falling for him, knowing well aware that you weren't the woman that he wanted. And then, Steve. 

You wanted nothing more now than to be with a man like Steve, the both of you needed each other, to get over your heartbreak, but you didn't know if you would ever be able to move on, and stop thinking of the man's face who was just minutes back kneeling between your legs, and you were calling out his name.

You immediately clicked on the reply button and your fingers started frivolously typing.

**_You: You didn't do anything wrong Steve. I am sorry I reacted that way. There's something you need to know. And I'm sorry I can't tell you face to face._ **

**_You: I wanted you to break up with Natasha. And when you actually told me you weren't with her anymore, I freaked out. I know you are going to hate me now, and that's okay. I get it._ **

**_You: I just thought you deserve to know._ **

You didn't know why you did it, and why you intentionally chose not to tell Steve that it was Bucky who had planned this all along. And then you sent the messages.


	8. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two weeks pass by, and Y/N learns to live without the two super soldiers on her tail constantly. What happens when one of them unexpectedly pays her a visit and she ends up on a date with him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings/Notes: No Bucky (Sorry folks!), He is probably busy fucking his new girlfriend ahem ahem, a bit angsty in the beginning, and then there's fluff

Two weeks passed and Bucky didn't contact you again, and neither did Steve. Natasha came back, and Bucky completely forgot about you just like he had said he would.

As for you, you came back to square one, but the only difference was that you were stuck with the struggle to try and chuck out the memories of the two super soldiers, that had managed to lay an imprint on your life. You went back to live life the way you did before meeting the Avengers, locking yourself into your apartment.

It was difficult at first, and the first few nights were the worse, and the only solace you found was in drinking your woes away, and curling up in your bed, sometimes sobbing, and sometimes just blankly staring at the ceiling. Not everything that came out of your little tryst with James Buchanan Barnes was bad. You found a friend, someone who you felt now close enough to share all your feelings with – Sam Wilson.

You pulled out your phone, and a smile cracked against your dry, chapped lips when you saw his name flashing over your phone. In a swift motion, you clicked on the receive icon and flung the phone to your ear.

"Mornin', doodle. Thought we could chat a bit before I'm pulled off into yet another mission," His voice called out, from the other side of the phone.

"And where the hell are they sending you off to again? I thought you just came back from one of these missions, _Sammy_."

"I swear, Y/N, if you call me Sammy one more time, I'm gonna make sure they don't even find your body."

"Yeah, you always say that, _Sammy_ , besides it's still way better than doodle," you chuckled into the phone and propped yourself on your couch, pulling your feet up so you were now hugging them, your chin resting against your knees.

"You're still locked up inside that depressing place you call your home, right?" He began, before you cut him off.

"Sam, I told you, I will go out when I'm ready, I just can't right now. I just have a lot going on in my mind." Mindlessly, you looked down; your eyes fixing themselves on your cat who was curled up next to you, the side of his head on your feet, making you reach out with your free hand to stroke over his thick fur in a circular motion, when Sam began mumbling again.

"Well, we're done having you mope around."

"What do you mean _we_ , Wilson?" You raised an eyebrow, almost as if he wasn't on the call with you, but was rather sitting facing you.

His faint chuckle sounded through the phone, "Well, in approximately five minutes, I'll be off in that damn Quinjet, and you'll probably get yourself a _nice date_."

"A date, Sam? What the fuck are you even saying? Don't tell me you hit your head against a rock on your previous mission."

"Well, Cap's gonna kill me if I tell you before he's even made a move – _Oops_."

"Sam, spit it out." You deadpanned, your voice serious, your eyes almost bulging out, and your heart rate suddenly accelerated at the mention of Cap. You were gripping your cell phone so hard, your knuckles had almost turned white.

"Fine, but don't tell him I told you. He's on his way to you, has been thinking about doing this for days but couldn't get his hand out of his ass and do it."

" _Sam, language,"_ You rolled your eyes dramatically, pulling on the Captain America voice, the best one that you could do.

"I swear you two are made for each other. Just get married already and start making pretty babies."

"Shut up, Sammy." You bit your lip, your cheeks heating up profusely as you tried to bite down on your cheeks to stop yourself from blushing at the thought. _You and Steve, a small cottage on a hill, your children running around, while Steve chased chickens back into their coups._

"He should be there in about five.. four.. three..two.. one.."

Suddenly, the doorbell to your front door went on, and your eyes widened as you let out an exasperated gush of air, a sudden panic rising inside you. What if it really was him?

"Don't tell me Sam that this is a joke. If it is, this is a really pathetic joke."

"Nope this isn't, I gotta go, bye, love you. Be good and don't bother our Cap too much, will ya?" Suddenly, Sam's voice on the other end of the line wasn't very clear, and you could hear the static even, which you knew was because he was already in the Quinjet and probably taken off.

" _Love you too, fucker_. Please get back in one piece or else I'll make sure I chop you into two."

"Always so sweet, and adorable. Now bye, go and get that door." The call suddenly disconnected, and nervously you pulled it off your ear, tossing it onto the coffee table, as you pulled yourself up the couch, and strode towards your front door, running your hands through your messy hair, and straightening your sweatshirt.

You brought your palm to the lock and pulled it down, so you could open the door. You were greeted by a sight, Steve had his back turned towards you, staring at the street in front of you, so you cleared your throat, making him almost jump around, his cheeks tainted crimson.

"Uh, Y/N, hi, I just, I thought I'd come check on you."

You watched him clench his eyes shut as he scolded himself silently, and you couldn't help but smile internally at the way he was acting, all flustered and cute. When he opened his eyes again, you couldn't help but notice how blue his eyes appeared today, even bluer than Bucky's.

"Won't you come in?"

You stepped inside, pulling the door open so he could walk in, and he sheepishly stepped in, running his hand through his hair as the two of you walked in together, in silence towards your living room. Mr. Valentino immediately perked up at Steve's sight, and you couldn't help roll your eyes at him as he practically hopped off the couch and darted towards his foot, purring loudly.

Steve bent, placing his fingers against the cat's belly, nuzzling it as he began grinning, "Looks like _someone_ missed me."

You swallowed, looking at the man in front of your eyes. You were seeing him after two weeks, and you didn't even know why he was here again.

" **I thought you hated me**." You suddenly blurted out, watching him stiffen as he slowly stood back up, and turned towards you, his expressions soft, yet stern in a way. Finally, he slowly pointed towards the couch, and you nodded, before the two of you walked up to it and sat down side by side, you nervously toying with your fingers, waiting for him to speak.

" **I don't**. I was just hurt when I read your texts. I kept thinking for days," he slowly turned his head so he could look at you, his lashes fluttering a little, "the more I thought about it though, the only thing that kept bothering me was the fact that you wanted me to break up with Natasha."

You looked away, fixing your gaze on the wall on front of you, wanting to look anywhere but into those captivating eyes of his.

"Bucky left. Natasha went with him." 

You turned towards him again, but this time your lips were curled into a perfect o. You didn't know what to say, but you couldn't ignore the pang you felt somewhere inside your chest.

"Won't you ask me why?"

You shook your head, biting your lip.

Steve finally relaxed, sitting back until his back was resting against the backrest of the couch, "Bucky told me everything, things that you decided not to tell me,Y/N."

"He t-told you everything?" You asked him, trying to bite down on your lip to stop it from quivering so much.

He nodded.

"He told me some things, things that YOU should have told me but you didn't. He told me how he hired you to cook up a plan to get me to break up with Natasha."

Your jaw almost dropped; he knew.

"At first I thought I wanted to hate you. But then, the more I thought, the more I felt how you had been nothing but real with me. Tell me Y/N, when you talked to me, who was I talking to? **Was it the real _YOU_ , or the _YOU_ that Bucky had asked you to be**?"

" **The real me, it was the real me of course**. I thought I could talk to you. You were the only one I could talk to I would say," Your voice was low, barely a whisper, your lips trembling as you replied.

"You didn't tell me, when it should have come from you, and not Bucky himself, Y/N."

"And where did it bring you now, Steve? Just knowing the truth?" You suddenly found yourself turning towards him, your eyes almost bobbing out, your jaw clenched, and your fists balling the fabric of your sweatshirt, "Bucky was all you had, and all you had was Bucky. Girls come and go, Steve but friends? They are forever. I can't speak for Bucky's actions, but I couldn't tell you what Bucky did, because I didn't want you to end up losing your bestfriend."

"And in trying to save our friendship, that was already unsalvageable the minute Bucky set his eyes on Natasha, you were ready to be the enemy? You were ready to let me believe that you were the bad guy? I don't understand what kind of a woman you are."

You buried your face into your palms for a second, before swiping your face with your hands, and taking a deep breath.

"I messed up, but I was never a kind of a person that wanted you and Bucky to lose a bond of a lifetime."

He smiled softly, his nose crinkling as he lowered his gaze to your hand, that was curled up on your lap. Hesitantly, he reached out, placing his hand gently on your hand, before gently lifting it up and placing it on his thigh, running his index finger over your palm, as he began drawing mindless patterns over it.

"You intrigue me, and I don't want to lie, maybe it's these little things about you, the way you think of everyone first before you, that makes me want you, _I mean_ –" he masked the sudden crimson blush on his face with a cough, "–get to know you a little more."

Your eyes lifted and fixed them on Steve's. He averted his gaze, looking away as a blanket of blush suddenly draped over his face. _Did he just say he wanted you?_ Your hand was still resting against Steve's thigh, your body craned towards him so you were turned to him. You parted your lips, in an attempt to speak but suddenly you found yourself at a loss for words, "W-What?" _Well, that was the best you could come up with._

He looked at your dumbfounded expression and his own faltered a little, his mind fumbling to find the right words. However, a sudden confidence suddenly filled him up and he sat up taller, making you squint your eyes and wonder at the back of your mind what was going on the super soldier's head. Abruptly, he pushed himself off your couch, turning towards you so he could look down at you, and you had your eyes on him. In a slow motion, you watched him lift his arm, extending his hand towards you, "Sam told me that you were locking yourself in. I want you to get dressed, I am taking you out."

You blinked in confusion, before you let your hand into Steve's and he pulled you up to your feet.

"Where are you taking me?"

He smiled; though it was more of a side smirk.

"Well, ma'am, I'm taking you dancing."

•·················•·················•

You awkwardly stepped off Steve's motorcycle as he parked it outside a club, your hand flying to the hem of your dress to pull it lower against your thighs. You chuckled, when Steve took off his helmet and leaned over the mirror, trying to adjust his hair that had messed up because of the helmet.

"I told you it's a bad idea to wear a dress on a bike ride. You alright?" He smirked, looking at you trying to pull down your dress from the rear view mirror.

You rolled your eyes at him in a playful way as he hopped off the bike and slid the keys into his pocket, before giving you his arm to take. Gladly, you slid your arm through his, linking your arms together as the two of you began walking towards the loud booming sound that was coming from the club.

"Tell me Steve, since when do you like clubbing?" You tugged at his arm, tilting your head to one side as the two of you entered the dimly lit club, and Steve stepped in front of you immediately, making his way through the swarm of horny teenagers that were lined by the hallway, their mouths all over each others and you followed him, smirking at the way Steve was getting all flustered at the sight.

"Trust me," he yelled over the music, "I've been living in this era for a long while now and I still can't get used to all this."

"Yet you brought me here, Captain."

He smiled, pausing for a bit now that the two of you had entered the main part of the club as you took his arm again, inching a bit closer to him.

"I thought you enjoy this. I wanted you to do something you like, it's not about me today."

Your heart melted at his words, and you couldn't help but look at the man in awe.

"What?" He smiled, as he noticed you staring at him.

You smiled, shaking your head as you mumbled, loud enough for him to hear, "When I thought you couldn't get any cuter, you say this to me."

"Should I feel offended you called me cute?" He grinned at you, a tiny laugh playing on his lips now, that caused you to almost snort and tug at his arm to pull him closer to you as you screamed into his ear, " _I like you this way, Captain_."

His cheeks reddened at your compliment, and he was at a sudden loss of words. He coughed awkwardly, and you were thankful that the two of you were now standing at the bar. You pulled on a stool, hopping on top of it as you crossed one leg over the other, and Steve began leaning his side against the counter to keep his eyes on you.

"What would you like to drink?" He asked.

"Whatever you're having?" You replied back, sheepishly, looking into his blues.

You noticed him crinkle his nose, and give you a grin before he shook his head and inform you that he didn't drink, because alcohol didn't really affect him. After much haggling, and pleading with him to atleast drink to accompany you, he finally relented, and the two of you were now making your way towards a seat by the corner of the club with your drinks in Steve's hands.

Once the two of you were settled comfortably, you grabbed your glass of whiskey, your fingers curling around it as you lifted it up and hoisted it up to your lips to let the burning liquid rush down the canal of your throat, settling into the pit of your stomach.

The first few minutes were much awkward than what you had imagined to be, but slowly, as the minutes passed, the awkwardness died down, and you found yourself laughing at the jokes that Steve told you. You could see that he was trying so hard to have fun, for you, at a place he didn't really enjoy being at, and just the thought of his thoughtfulness made your heart swell.

Soon, Steve's arm was draped over your shoulder, and you found yourself scooting into the tiny space he had created for you, your cheek now resting against his bicep as you continued blabbering on and on, your mind a bit wuzzy and already high on the whiskey.

"Now that's enough, you've had enough to drink. I'm not letting you drink any more," he laughed as you protested loudly, and pulled out of his warm embrace and stood up, holding the table edge for support. You then turned towards him and threw out your hand towards him, glancing down at him, "Come on, Grandpa, I thought you brought me dancing. Let's see what you've got."

"I might be from the 40s, ma'am, but that doesn't mean that I can't show you how a good dance is done. _Look at them_ –" he chuckled, as he took your hand, hoisting himself up first before he pointed towards a couple that were more grinding against each other than actually dancing, "–today's dancing is all that, do you really know how a real man dances his woman?"

Taking your hand, Steve pulled you to the dance floor as the two of you began dancing to the beats that were playing. Lucky enough for the two of you, a slow song had now begun playing. You would be lying if you said that Steve Rogers couldn't dance. Maybe it was because you were drunk, but you had almost lost the count of how many times you had stepped on his toes while dancing.

Steve almost laughed, spinning you around in a delicate circle, and in that moment, the two of you had forgotten where you both were. It was like the two of you were trapped in a place where there was no space, and no time, and it was just you and him.

You had the widest smile on your face, and you didn't think of Bucky Barnes, _at least not until then._

The two of you danced for another ten minutes, before your legs began feeling wobbly, and your head started spinning around. Steve could see you struggling to keep your balance and it wasn't long before you felt him place a steady hand on the low of your waist as he began walking you away.

"Won't you just die to get drunk like me, huh, Cap?" You chuckled over the music, slurring on the words, and Steve just crinkled his nose and shook his head.

"Not if it leaves you in a mess." He replied back, in a low voice, as he walked you out of the club, and you breathed the fresh air, and huddled closer towards him.

"You're happy now, huh?"

You blurted out of the blue, and Steve squinted his eyes in confusion, his head slightly turning towards you.

"What do you mean, Y/N?" He asked.

You ran your hand drunkenly and absentmindedly through your hair, your eyes darting around, your vision slightly blurry. You tried to walk down the street, but your legs were telling you otherwise. You felt them swaying – left and right; right and left, and if it wasn't for Steve, you would be rolling over in a ditch right now, "You heard what I said. I said, aren't you happy now _Bucky_.."

Steve stopped in his tracks, bringing you to a jostling halt. His eyes fell on a massive wooden crate laying in a corner. His hands flew to your waist and you let out a squeel in child like delight when he lifted you up effortlessly and placed you on that crate, fixing himself directly in front of you.

"You're in love with him."

You didn't know why suddenly there were stinging tears in your eyes. You blinked, forcing yourself to look away when Steve drew your face back towards him, and you stared into his soft eyes.

"It doesn't matter how I feel, the thing is, he chose someone else and I have to live with it now," your words barely escaped your lips.

He brought his palms up to your face, gently fixing them on either of your cheek. It was at the same time you blinked, and a thick chunk of a tear rolled down against your cheek, burying itself into the pad of Steve's thumb. His thumb swiped over the tear, drying it off before he pulled your face slightly closer, the touch gentle, and his eyes warm, "I know you are hurting and alone. We both have almost been through the same thing. Let me be here to pick up the pieces that Bucky has broken."

"Why would you want to do that? Why would you want to put your hand voluntarily into a bucket full of shards of broken glass and get yourself cut?"

He smiled, his thumb still stroking over your cheek in a comforting way.

"I just want to make things right, and do what that jackass couldn't do."

You placed both your arms on Steve's shoulders, locking your hands behind his neck as you chuckled, "did you really say that word, Cap?"

"No, I didn't say anything."

"You did, you said jackass. Aw, aren't you cute."

"Y/N, I didn't."

_And then just like that, being with Steve made you forget about Bucky Barnes again._


	9. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky's back, when Y/N didn't think he would turn up again. He's back to bring a storm again into Y/N's life. But now the question is, why he is back? And where had he been for so long? Is there something Y/N should know? Now that Y/N was finally beginning to find comfort in Steve, how is Bucky's return going to affect this blossoming relationship? Will it strengthen it or break it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Smut, Slightly mature, mentions/reference of sex and intimacy[will use ******* when the smut begins]

Little did you know when you had signed up for it, that all of it would end up in the Avengers breaking up. Bucky left, and from what you had heard from Steve, Natasha left with him. Although he didn't say it out loud, you knew it deep inside that Steve was hurting. The Avengers were now left with Tony, Steve, Wanda, Vision, Clint and Sam.

That one date with Steve had ended in you and Steve deciding to give your relationship a try.

You wouldn't lie; he was a gentleman.

He hadn't touched you in that way and neither pushed you to do something you didn't want. In fact, sex didn't even come up yet in your relationship with Steve. But that didn't stop the two of you from waking up next to each other ever since that night when he had taken you dancing. Not that it had been long ever since; honestly it had just been a week.

The pale early summer sun shone through the cracks in the blinds of your apartment, making you flutter your drowsy eyes open and try to rub the remainder of the sleep away. Faint snores from your super soldier boyfriend sleeping in your bed, his thick arm draped over your waist, filled the room as you rolled over and burrowed your face into the pillows and groaned.

"I know you're awake, Steve, I know you're listening. And I know you're thinking of what I really don't want to think of right now," you mumbled snarkily into your pillow, eliciting a deep, throaty chuckle from him as he replied in his morning, raspy voice.

"Mornin' to you too, ma'am. Well, you got to do it someday, might as well be today."

"Why can't you go alone?" You whined, and the more you whined, the more you made Steve laugh with your silly antics.

"I can, but I don't want you to work anywhere else. You being at the Avengers Towers, I can sneak in anytime and spend time with you." You felt the bed make a loud creaking sound when Steve rolled over, his arm locking around your waist, his well built frame pressing against your side. You sighed contently, and let out a small hum, before you abruptly sat up in bed, causing Steve's eyes snap open due to worry.

"Y/N, what did I do? What's wrong?" He sat up too, his lower body hidden underneath your plush sheets, covering him from waist down.

You glared at him, your eyes narrowed and your lips pressed into a firm line.

He shook his head, not understanding what he had said that had made you so angry suddenly.

"You're scaring me now, Y/N."

"I know what you're trying to do, Steve Grant Rogers– " the anger that was reflecting on your face just seconds back, dramatically changed to a smirk, and Steve just kept looking at you, unblinking and exasperated the minute he saw you smirking out of the blue, "– this is about you wanting to teach me those self defense skills that you were saying. Isn't this what this is about? I don't need it, Captain, I can take care of myself very well, for starters, I've been living alone for years."

Steve fell back dramatically against the headboard, clenching his eyes shut for a split second before opening them wide and rolling them at you, as he leaned to his side and now his head rested against his palm, propped up on his elbow.

"You can't even kill a fly, Y/N."

"Woah, Rogers, I've killed almost a hundred flies, I've hunted a snake in my backyard, and I live with a cat, who is missing by the way, I wonder where that bugger's at right now. Well, coming back–" You leaned forward, so you were face level with him now. He was smirking up at you, while you were trying to give him a straight face, but were miserably failing at doing so; how could you even pretend to be mad when he was looking at you like that? With those puppy dog eyes of his, "–you've been sleeping in my bed for what? Like seven days? And you think you know me better than anyone else?"

Steve just chuckled at your fake angry voice, lifting himself off the bed, as he began to tumble out of the bedsheets. His hand came to fly to the top of your head, messing your hair slightly and you secretly smiled to yourself when you watched him leave.

"Y/N?"

"What?" You asked in a bored voice, not wanting to get out of bed, get ready and head to the Avengers Towers, now that you officially worked there.

"Why is there a tarantula in your bathroom? Jesus Christ, it's as big as my ... fist."

Steve's words caused a sudden thumping of your heart against your chest. Holding your breath in, you swallowed tensely as you looked up at Steve, your eyes looking up at him once before you began screaming.

"GET THAT THING OUT OF MY BATHROOM I SWEAR TO GOD I'M GONNA PASS OUT–"

You only realized that you had been played when a raucous sound of his laughter filled the bathroom, and your room and he shook his head lightly before the door to the bathroom shut behind you, but not before he had had his faint share of taunting you by saying, "Such a drama queen. I was right, you can't even kill a fly."

•·················•·················•

Your fingers ran like a bullet train over the keypad in Tony's lab, while Tony stood in front of the holographic screen, his eyes focused to the screen. He had asked you to retrieve, and possibly hack into a CIA owned footage.

"It's clear they are hiding something, see this smoke rising out of this part of Nevada? Something's seriously up, kid."

You shrug, pushing yourself up from the leather chair you had been sitting on, your eyes fixing on the screen with a sudden curiousity; your mind beginning to work on the possible scenarios of what could be going on in Nevada.

"It could be an alien invasion."

"Too far fetched, I doubt it." He immediately shut you down.

"What if they're experimenting on people and turning them into aliens?" You turned towards Tony at the same time when Steve walked into the lab, and frowned when he saw you and Tony engaged in a discussion.

"What's going on?" Steve raised an eyebrow.

You walked up to him, slinking your arm around his waist, stepping up on your toes as you quickly planted a kiss on his cheek, ignoring the sound of Tony's muffled groan, and voice, "This is my lab, you two need to get a room."

Steve cleared his throat, stepping away from you, his eyes squinting slightly as he tried to mask the redness on his face, and you couldn't help but force yourself to try and suppress the giggle that was lodged inside your throat; something that happened every time you saw a flustered Captain.

"Oh it's nothing _babe_ , I'm just helping Mr. Stark figure out a new Nevada mystery, wonder what's going around here," you smiled, running your hand through your hair and turned towards Tony, nodding before you moved away and began working again on whatever it was that you had been working on while Steve moved to where Tony was standing and the two of them began to talk about it.

After about fifteen minutes, Steve mumbled something to Tony and giving you a quick smile, you watched as he walked off and you gave Tony a confused look.

"What the hell was that about?"

"Uh, nothing you should know. Y/N come on dear, I have a few things I want you to do for me," Tony took your arm, taking you by surprise and walked off with you towards some files that he needed you to go through, making you forget the little thing between Steve and Tony that had played out minutes ago.

An hour later, you finally stepped out of the lab, your heels clicking against the tiled flooring of the hallway as you walked towards the gym, the information that you had pried off from Friday on the location and Steve's whereabouts. You turned round the corner, your eyes falling on Steve who had his back turned towards you, his body drenched in sweat, as he worked on the punching bag; his punches so hard, you winced wondering how the punching bag was actually taking those.

From what you could see, you could see part of his side, and a whole lot of his muscular back. You pushed yourself behind the wall, making sure that he didn't catch you looking at him as your eyes found themselves travelling all over his form appreciatively as you checked him out. How was it supposed to be your fault? He was almost 200 pounds of muscles, his back perfectly shaped and his butt just the perfect one to smack. His brown sweatpants ( _yes, he was wearing a sweatpants, making your thoughts even worse than what it would have been of he was in a jeans_ ) hung perfectly low over that butt, and you forced yourself to bite down on your lip to refrain from letting out a loud exhale at the sight of him.

What you forgot though was the fact that your boyfriend was a super soldier, and his hearing skills were way better than your stealth skills. Heat pooled up in your cheeks when suddenly his head shot towards you, and his words directed towards you reached your ears.

"I know you're watching me, Y/N. It's creepy," His voice had jest in it, yet you couldn't help feel embarassed, and you didn't have words to say back to him, all your sass having melted away in that moment as you stepped towards him awkwardly.

"I wasn't watching watching you Steve, I just didn't want to disturb you while you poured out all your anger on that poor punching bag."

Steve's lips curved upwards into a faint smile, his gaze falling on the punching bag and then at you as you slowly walked up to him.

"You okay Stevie?"

"Yeah, I'm just worried about whatever's going on in Nevada, and we haven't been able to get a lead on it yet." He commented, his voice low as he slowly placed his palm on your waist, pulling you closer, and your arm draped around his neck.

"It's going to be okay, Rogers, I know you people are talented enough to get a lead, and you, mister, are going to save this country again."

He chuckled, slowly leaning forward and playfully pecking your nose, almost making you sneeze, "This is what scares me, ma'am. People think I can do anything , figure out anything and the day I fail, you all are going to be so disappointed in me –"

"I'm never going to be disappointed in you, Steven Grant Rogers, and that's a promise."

You cut him off, watching him as your words made his smile go a little wider, and his eyes moved from your eyes down to your lips, and you nodded at him, silently telling him what you wanted, and that it was okay for him to kiss you. As if he had heard your thoughts, he slowly leaned in, his lips hovering directly above yours for a second before his warm lips pressed against yours. His kiss was soft, and gentle, and the way he held you by the waist, like you were a porcelain doll, and that you would break if he held you tight, made you feel warm. It made you coil your fingers into his hair and pull him even closer; his hard frame pressed into you as you deepened the kiss into a more needy one, your tongue sliding into his mouth.

*********

It hadn't even been more than ten seconds more when Steve abruptly pulled away; his cheeks tainted bright red and his breathing heavy.

"Y/N, I, _uh_ , let's not take it that far. We need to stop, now _otherwise_."

You bit your lip, pulling away slightly, your own breathing now hitched as you knew exactly why he was asking you to stop. It wasn't like he could help himself and control what the kiss had done to him, and neither was it hard to figure out, not when something thick and hard was pressing into your groin when he had held you while the kiss. Besides, how could you blame him when your body was as equally charged up as his was?

"Steve."

He looked at you, his eyes slightly darkened and you could see the effort he was putting into keeping himself under control.

It was sudden, when you stepped towards him, and instinctively he stepped back, not because he didn't want you, but because he didn't want things to escalate to an extent neither of you could lay the reins over anymore.

You reached out and grabbed his t-shirt, balling the fabric of his fingers as you tried to pull him back, "What are you –"

"Babe, it's okay, what are you afraid of.."

Very stealthily, you placed your index finger on the waistband of his sweatpants, hooking your finger to it, waiting for a few seconds for him to pry your hand off but he didn't. Instead, his eyes clenched shut and he threw his head back, before slowly fluttering them open again.

"I will stop if you say it Steve, look at me. What are you afraid of?"

He let out a shaky breath, finally looking into your eyes, "that's what I'm afraid of, I won't be able to stop."

"Steve, now let me –" Your pace painfully slow, you slid your hand into Steve's sweatpants, smirking slightly when your ears caught a faint curse that had managed to escape his lips, but it was so faint you couldn't figure out what he had just said.

Your hand wrapped around his already hardened cock, making him take a sharp breath as he pressed himself against the wall, and you stepped in front of him. Your thumb pressing against the tip of his cock, you circled it teasingly with the thumb before you bagan pumping him, slowly at first as you gradually began building pace.

"Y/N.."

You cocked an eyebrow, licking your lips as you began pumping him faster now, and he almost grunted in return, a low moan escaping his lips.

"Oh, fuck.. _fuck_ , I can't .."

You suddenly began chuckling, your pace not changing as you worked on his almost pulsating cock, and you knew that he was now close. His mind was still in that delirium, but the sound of your chuckling made him mumble half understandable words, "What's so...funny.. oh.. _fuck_."

"Well, you cursed," You smirked at him, pressing your thumb against his tip, feeling his precum against your thumb as you swiped the thumb all over, making him begin cursing in a barely audible voice all over again,"You don't understand Captain, just looking at you like that, cursing like a sailor, you don't know hot I suddenly feel."

Maybe it was your words that were needed to trip him over when you suddenly felt his cock twitch in your hand, before he released his thick, hot cum all over your palm, and his clothes, bringing his fisted palm up to his lips so he could muffle the sound of his moaning, in case it got louder.

You had barely even pulled your hand out of his sweatpants, when suddenly, Tony walked in, and the man who followed him almost _blew your mind, not in a good way this time._

_Bucky Barnes._

"OH MY GOD, OH GOOD LORD –"

Tony's sudden dramatic entry along with his dramatic choice of words immediately made you pull your hand away, your palm clenching into a fist behind you as you awkwardly bit your lip and very flustered Steve turned away, his back now towards the two of them as he hurriedly adjusted his sweatpants at the crotch area.

"I didn't expect this from you Capsicle. Out of all the places, you really pick my gym to .. Couldn't the two of you wait to take this home?"

The two of you felt like you were children that had been caught bunking the math class in school.

It was only then, when you finally turned your gaze towards Bucky, and your eyes met his, those familiar blue irises that you wouldn't lie you had missed gazing into. You noticed that his lips were pressed together and he had no snarky remarks up his sleeve today, his fists were curled against his sides, and his jaw was clenched.

In that moment, you felt helpless, stuck and torn between what was right and what you wanted to do. All the feelings that you had kept bottled up inside you, locking them into a tiny corner of your heart, your feelings for Bucky, you could feel them spilling out again, one by one. You forced yourself to turn away, looking at Steve. He looked from you to Bucky, his eyes reflecting hurt. He was heartbroken at the sight, but he wouldn't say it. You couldn't lie, you were in love with Bucky, although you knew he didn't feel the same way, but there was something with Steve too, and you couldn't bring yourself to hurt him.

In that moment, he gave you a soft smile, a smile you knew was fake, and pretense as he nodded encouragingly, telling you it was okay to talk to Bucky.

You fluttered your eyes shut, swiping your palm over your face as you took a deep breath. Tony had walked off by now, grumbling under his breath, and smirking at the same time at what he had walked upon but Bucky remained, standing by the door, glancing at you, and then Steve, waiting for either of you to talk to him.

Instead of walking towards Bucky, you felt your legs carrying you towards Steve and he just looked at you with surprised eyes. When you were close enough, you drew in a weak smile and your palm shot up, resting against Steve's chest and he looked down at you, Bucky's piercing gaze fixed on what he was seeing.

"It's okay, go talk to him," Steve finally smiled, and he brought his hand up to your face, pushing a loose strand of your hair behind your ear.

You bit your lip, gazing into his baby blues as you whispered back, "I have nothing to talk to Bucky about. Infact, you are the one that needs to talk to him Stevie."

"I know, there's a lot that dick needs to hear from me." He shot a glare towards Bucky, who was by now giving the two of you an obvious scowl. You couldn't help but giggle at his words, as you stepped up on your heels and your fingers flew into his hair and you messed his hair up.

"Captain, I can't get enough of you cursing in front of me."

You then stepped away, your front facing Steve as you began taking steps towards the door, your eyes fixed on him. When you were close to the door, you slowly turned around, and you were once again met with Bucky's stare, as you heard him mumble in a low voice, "You two are cute together, doll."

"Thank you, Bucky." You whispered, before you walked yourself out, without bothering to turn around and glance at him once again. Your heart was suddenly strumming inside your chest. You should have been happy that he had accepted you and Steve, but _why did it hurt worse than it did a few days ago? Why did your heart want him to fight for you?_

•·················•·················•

You sat in Steve's apartment, waiting for him to get done with his work for the day so he could take you back home and the two of you could call it a day. This was what his routine was ever since a week. He would come to the Avengers Towers in the morning, and then come back to your apartment at nightfall and he hardly spent time in his apartment anymore.

Your mind was distracted, the back of your head pressed against the headboard of his bed, your leg folded underneath you as you aimlessly stared at the ceiling, your fingers toying with the switch of his lampshade when the door finally opened and a very tired Steve walked in.

"Hey, babe, you okay?" You suddenly sat up straighter, your eyes squinting in worry.

His eyes almost lit up at the sight of you, his exhaustion almost melting away and he nodded.

"Yeah, doll. It's just, Buck's back and– "

"How did it go? Your talk with him?" You asked.

"Just like it was supposed to be. You don't end your differences in one go. He said he felt bad, he said he was sorry." He began and you almost gasped.

"Bucky said sorry?"

He nodded as he continued, "I love Buck, always have, and always will. I will come to forgive him eventually, but that's not what's bothering me. It's just Bucky's got a tail on what's going on in Nevada and we might have to go and check it out soon."

You suddenly walked up to where he was standing, your hands on your hips fixing yourself in front of him.

"What's up?"

"HYDRA is experimenting on innocent people, turning them into disfigured monsters, making an army, brainwashing them."

"Oh my god," Your hand flew to your lips and you pressed your palm against it to hold in the gasp that was lodged inside your throat.

"Natasha is working to get more lead on em. While Bucky came to let us know, I'm gonna have to go for a while, doll."

Your hands flew to his face as you cupped his cheeks and brought it lower so you could nuzzle your nose against his cheek for a bit, "I know. Duty comes first, babe. I know."

_Just take care of Bucky, Steve._

"I'm too stumped to go back today, ma'am, can we stay in here today?" He asked, placing his hand on the low of your back and you nodded.

"Definitely. I know you miss your own bed." Playfully swatting him with your palm, you pulled out your phone and looked up at him.

"Well get into bed, I'll just call my dad, its been ages I spoke to him. We fought a month back over me not being able to find myself a man, when he's going to hear about just who I found, he is going to be blown away."

"Sure," he chuckled as you heard the ruffling of the fabric of his sheets and you turned your head to see that he had taken off his tshirt and was now only his vest and the sweatpants, sitting by the edge of the bed, ready to climb in. You nodded, smirking and biting your own lip as you walked out with your ear pressed to your phone listening to the phone ringing on the other side, until a familiar voice shot through the other side.

"Hey baby girl." He sounded tired.

"Daddy? What's wrong? Why do you sound like that?"

After a few seconds of static silence, you heard him exhale and blatantly lie to you, "Nothing sweety, it's all good."

"When have you ever lied to me before and gotten away with it?"

The seriousness in your tone made him grin on the other side as he finally sighed, before speaking again, "Don't freak out okay? And I'm fine now."

"What happened?"

_Of course that made you freak out even more._

"I met with a car accident almost a week back and had it not been for that kind man saving my life, getting me to the damn hospital and being with me for days, I won't be here. I'm sorry I should have called, or someone should have told you but I asked them not to. You would have freaked out."

You almost fell back at the news, your back hitting the wall. You were thankful you were outside in the hallway, and not in the room.

"Dad?" Your voice cracked, "How could you not tell me such a thing? Just because we were on fighting terms.. Jesus Christ, you know what ? I'm coming over tomorrow. First thing, and also, I am glad someone helped you out. If only I knew who he was, I would have sent him a personalized thank you note."

Your dad coughed on the other side, and then let out a low chuckle.

"Oh he was a fine young man. He was there through it all, he told me his name.. wait I think I remember.. I think he told me his name was James .. James Buchanan Barnes. Yes, that was it."

James Buchanan Barnes? Bucky? Was this a coincidence? You didn't know what to say, words lost their way, and your mind was suddenly static.

"How did he, uh, look like?"

"Look like? Well.. he was tall, had long hair, the poor man didn't seem to have an arm, I could see a prosthetic metal arm–"

"Dad? How about you rest for a while now yeah? We're going to catch up once I'm back tomorrow. Bye, love you."

"But?"

"Bye daddy," You immediately disconnected. You didn't want to appear rude, but the truth was you couldn't stay where you were anymore. Your legs gave up underneath you and you fell to your knees, before you completely let your body loose, letting your head rest against the wall as you started having a panic attack.


	10. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N finally makes up her mind, or maybe someone else does it for her and she is left with no choice but to wish she could go back to the life she used to live before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: ANGST , CONFESSIONS AND GOODBYES // TIME SKIP / LEAP.

  


"Hey, Wanda, have you, _uh_ , seen Bucky anywhere?"

You stepped into the lounging room, your eyes scanning the insides, looking for the man with the metal arm. You looked like shit but you didn't care; you knew your hair were a mess and your makeup was off, your eyeliner messed up all around your eyelids.

"Mhm," Wanda was in the middle of biting into a granola bar when you suddenly stepped in, forcing her to swallow the mouthful in a hurry so she could wipe her lips with the back of her palm. "Sorry about that," she gave you an awkward laugh, before clearing her throat, "Yeah, I saw Barnes head out to the gym. Said he needed to unwind after a bad day, I wonder what he meant."

"Well, thanks for the intel. I'll need it." You took a deep breath, exhaling as you blinked at her once and she gave you a weak smile and waved you off with her palm. You strode through the hallway, knowing well you had to be back before Steve began worrying about you suddenly disappearing on him. You wanted nothing more than to be with Steve under those warm blankets, cuddling but you really needed to confront Bucky, because what your father had told you was eating you from the inside, piece by piece.

Soon, you found yourself standing by the gym, nibbling nervously on your lower lip. You could hear Bucky's muffled grunts from the inside, and pressing yourself against the corner, you decided to take a look once to ensure there was no one in there with him. Just like you had imagined, Bucky was laying on the bench press, working out, _alone_.

You cleared your throat to announce your presence as you slowly stepped in, fixing yourself by the door. Bucky, upon hearing your voice, pushed the bar effortlessly off him, and sat up on the bench, his legs on the either side of the bench.

"Hey Buck."

"Hey, doll. You needed something?" His voice was soft, his eyes looking at you in a gentle way, his lips pressed together, his shoulders hunched over. You mindlessly brought your hand up to the side of your face, pushing the loose strands of your messed up hair behind your ear and nodded, walking in slowly until you were standing by the bench.

"Can we talk?" You blurted out, waiting for a reaction out of him.

At first, he just stared at you, his expressions blank and unreadable before he scooted backwards slightly so there was now space for you to sit as well on that bench. Silently, you lowered yourself down, your hands coming to rest in your lap, your fingers absentmindedly playing with each other.

"I thought you didn't want to talk."

His voice was muffled, but nevertheless you had heard him clearly.

"You thought I wouldn't find out Bucky?"

He squinted his eyes, a look of confusion washing over his face for a split second before it finally sunk in into him, and he figured out exactly what it was that you wanted to talk to him about.

"Yeah, that was the plan."

You turned towards him, your nose almost flaring and without realising, you reached out, placing your hand on his knee, your nails almost digging into the flesh on his knee. He lowered his eyes to look at your hand but didn't push it away.

"I need to know what happened. You think you can hide stuff from me Barnes, but I am always going to find out, besides, it's my dad. You thought I wouldn't find out. Are you fucking kidding me?"

You knew you were ranting, words shooting out of your lips like bullets raining down on him. You were breathless and you wanted to shut up, but you couldn't, not when he wasn't answering the deep rooted questions in your mind.

"You think it is a coincidence that you happened to save my dad? That you happened to know that something was going to–"

"You think I was behind it?" He suddenly began speaking, cutting you off he leaned forward, his eyes now glaring at you.

"I _didn't_ say that Bucky, for fucks sake."

"That is _exactly_ what you said, indirectly. You know what? I know I'm a fucking monster, I've done a lot of things and I wish I could undo those, but I don't do those anymore. I wasn't responsible for what happened." He almost shook his head, his eyes burning with a sudden distilled emotion that you could not put a name to. It was _raw_ , and definitely _new_.

"Then how? I just.. I don't understand."

"Which is exactly why I didn't want you to find out, Y/N. You begin overthinking things." He sighed before continuing, "that night at your apartment– "

Your thoughts went flying back to the night when Bucky was between your thighs, and he was looking up at you. You wished the lights were dimmer, so Bucky wouldn't have to see the crimson blush fall over your cheeks. Out of all the times, now was when you were thinking about this. _Just great_.

"–after I left, I thought I wanted to find out more about you. I decided to go to New Jersey. I wanted to see what it was like for you to grow up, the life you lived, the place you grew up at. Maybe I would have felt a little closer to home, knowing how far away I am from my own."

Bucky's gentle yet heartfelt words kindled memories of a multiple summers spent in New Jersey. You smiled vividly at the sudden thought as you saw yourself as a young 20 year old who had just stepped off the plane for the last time, never looking back again.

"Did you then? Feel at home?" You asked, biting your lip.

"I was in the car, right outside your home, watching, lookin' around, thinkin' what it would have been like being with family, when I saw your dad drive up. I don't know what happened but somehow he wasn't able to stop, and the car skidded across and hit the sidewalk, crashing into the lamppost," he took a pause and looked at you, to check if you were okay. You had your head lowered, your hands gripping the side of the bench tight.

"I understand taking him to the hospital, but staying with him for days, you could have called me."

He smiled to himself, his eyes falling to his hands and then back up, "Your dad's pretty nice. I didn't stay out of any pressure while he was recovering, he did tell me some pretty badass stories, though."

"Oh, yeah?" Your eyebrow shot up as you gave him a smirk, hearing his faint, throaty chuckle. He grinned back, looking at you for a bit before he started staring at his hands and a sudden silence engulfed the two of you, signalling that it was time to leave.

Your lips parted and a small gush of air escaped as you forced yourself up and cleared your throat.

"So, you and Punk huh?"

You twirled around, looking down at him, and he was looking up at you. You had expected to see venom in his eyes, and hatred in his voice, but there was none. In fact, the smile didn't seem to drop from his lips, and his eyes looked at you softly.

"Yeah, well. You stole his girlfriend. The man deserves some happiness, does it bother you he decided to find it with me?" This was your problem; the spite inside you didn't let you answer straight at times, even though how much you mentally cursed yourself for it.

"I wanted to, yeah. Well, I haven't been the best bestfriend –"

"Sorry Barnes, but you have been the worse bestfriend," you cut him off, and he just shrug.

"Yeah, you're right. I did want to steal his girlfriend, but I didn't... _couldn't_ do it in the end."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Your eyes widened at his words, making you even more confused than you already were. You slightly leaned forward, slightly bent as you roughly placed your index on his chin and jerked it up, eliciting a sudden surprised exhale from him. "How convenient Barnes? First take her away, practically live between her legs, and then look me in the eye, and have the fucking balls to lie, and say that you didn't , or you _couldn't_ steal his girlfriend."

You thought that he would get mad, but much to your surprise, he just began laughing at your little outburst. He suddenly reached out, and grabbed your hands, pulling himself off the the bench and moving to fix himself in front of you.

"You don't know anything. You never know anything, do you? You're always so fucking clueless as to what's happening around you. Well, Natasha did leave, but she didn't leave with me. She left because she didn't think it was working out with Steve."

"You've gotta be kidding Barnes, the two of you left the Avengers Towers together–"

"Just because we left Avengers Towers together doesn't mean we're together. I went to New Jersey, and she went to look for Bruce." He cleared his throat, pulling his hands away, abruptly dropping your hands that you hadn't even realized that he had been gripping hard, until you lost contact with his hands. Your mind felt like it was about to burst, this was a lot to process, and the fact that you didn't know just who to believe, just who to listen to, that felt even worse. How could you believe a man who had always had clear intentions of what he wanted to do from day one?

"I don't believe you, Barnes. The thing is, even if what you're saying is hypothetically true, I can't seem to believe it because you've given me a thousand reasons not to." You shook your head, looking away.

"I know, doll. And I'm not even forcing you to believe anything. It's just that you asked, and I thought I'd let you know."

"How convenient of you, Bucky," you breathed out, your shoulders slumping in reaction, "so, you and Natasha, you're _not_ _together_?"

He turned away, grabbing his phone from the matted floor, and his towel, as he began wiping the sweat off his face and nodded. You gave him a curt nod, and slowly turned away, your heart strumming inside your chest, ready to burst. When you reached the door, your feet suddenly stopped, and you grabbed the doorframe to support your body, and craned your neck to glance at him one last time, "After all that happened between us, after all that we went through, you and me, that fucking sexual tension, then the fact that I started falling for your lousy ass, and then the reality check of it all coming to a sudden halt, just because you had finally gotten what you wanted, Buck, and now just like that, I find out that you're not with her when you should be? And I'm with Steve when I want to be _with..you_? My life is so fucking messed up."

He walked up to you, until he was standing in front of you, your eyes almost face level with his, "Y/N, doll?" You mentally cursed yourself in that moment, for being so weak, and you cursed your stupid tears; they always found a way to sting in your eyes at the worst time, and you couldn't even blink them away, for you didn't want them spilling out, right in front of him, and for him.

"Steve is twice the man I ever will be, and I have no doubt in the world that you are now with the right man. I'm trouble, you know I am. I'm messed up, and you don't want to be caught in a mess called Bucky Barnes. I will always find a way to fuck things up, one way or the other. Besides, I'm _leaving_."

"Where would you go?"

"Wakanda."

Slowly, you placed your shivering palms on either side of his face, stroking his stubbled cheek with your thumb. He tightened his grip on your hips, pulling you closer and moving you away from the door so anyone walking down the hallway could not see you. He pinned you to the wall, towering over you.

"What if it's you that I want to be with though? Despite all that's happened, the heart does want what it wants in the end."

His lips curved upwards into a faint smile. You froze when you felt his index finger on your lips and he started trailing the outline of them, murmuring in a low voice, "I still remember, you know, it was just before we were sent off to war, when Punk was a tiny little fella, so scrawny , you would have believed this is the same man, well , we used to walk around Brooklyn–"

You nodded faintly, letting him know that you were listening, swallowing the bile that had formed inside your throat.

"– So, uh, then the war happened, and when Steve and I formed the Howling Commandos to battle Red Skull's forces, I was sure what I wanted when it was over. I wanted to find myself a nice Southern belle, settle down, get married and have a family of my own."

"You couldn't. Your dreams were shattered, Bucky," you whimpered, finally losing the inner battle that you were having with your tears. And it wasn't like your tears went unnoticed. Bucky swiped his thumb over your tears, nodding at your words as he gave you a ghostlike smile, a smile that hid the pain that he had gone through.

"Yeah, I didn't get to do any of that. But that's that, if I was alive back in my world, I would have wanted all that, but now, I'm not the man I used to be, and those things cannot happen now for me, doll. _Maybe the two of us met at the wrong place and wrong time_ –" he continued, his thumb still stroking tenderly over your cheek, "–I wish I had met you back then, I wish we could have had a life back then, we would have had a cottage up the damn hills, you would have looked a sight, doll, hunched over your own little vegetable garden, our kids runnin' around chasing the chickens," he ended his words with a low laugh, and you began speaking your heart out, your eyes fixed on him.

"I would have waited by the door Buck, after having put our kids to bed, patiently sitting by the porch, waiting for you to come back."

You finally leaned forward, until your forehead rested against his, both of you quiet and at peace in the little imaginary world that the two of you had created, when the reality of it hit you hard, and you felt like you had swallowed poison, that was killing you slowly, " we really can't have all that now, can we?"

He smiled, looking down at you and nodded.

"It can't happen for me, doll, but it doesn't mean it can't for you. I want it to happen for you. It can happen for you, and for Steve. Now go–" He suddenly pulled away, and pointed towards the exit, suddenly closing himself off again. The tiny sliver of hope that he had created, was gone just like that, and the wall between the two of you was back. "– Go to your man, Y/N."

You nodded.

"So this is it? Is this the _end_?" You absentmindedly mumbled.

"We never got a start, doll, and you are talking about the end."

_With that, he was gone_. You kept standing there, listening to his footsteps retreat until there was a bone chilling silence, and you felt suddenly alone, your mind and your thoughts suddenly screaming at you. Out of all the damn people in the world, why did you have to fall in love with a broken, tortured and toxic man like him?

•·················•·················•

**[ Timeskip to 3 years from that day now ]**

Samantha grew sleepier the more you held her propped up against your hip, running around the cottage with your other hand covered in flour, "Where the hell did I keep the towel, Rogers?"

"Y/N, _language_. I told you not to swear in front of her, didn't I?" Steve looked up in exasperation from the book that he was reading, lounging in the living room.

A lot happened in the three years that had flown by.

_Bucky left, for good, for Wakanda._

_Thanos' army invaded the planet._

_The Avengers, along with T'Challa and the Wakandan forces mounted a defense against them as Shuri tried to extract the mind stone from Vision, and you were there with them. The two of you tried hard, but Thanos arrived before the two of you could extract the mind stone, and you lost Vision to Thanos who teleported away, but not before activating the Gauntlet that wiped off almost half the people of this world away._

_You watched the man you loved, Bucky Barnes, and your bestfriend, Sam Wilson, disintegrate slowly, along with a whole lot of the other Avengers, but you couldn't stop screaming and crying for months after that for the two of them to come back._

_It took months for you to actually come out of the shock and the pain it had all cost you, but there was one person by your side, and you were thankful for it, Steve Grant Rogers. It was around that time almost two years back when you drowned in a whole bottle of whiskey to stop feeling the hurt._

_"They're gone, Steve, they're never coming back, I don't know what to do."_

_He knelt down next to you, your body a crumpled mess as you were sprawled on the floor of your apartment. You didn't protest when you felt him scoop you up into his arms, like you weighed nothing and carried you into the bedroom. The two of you shared each other's pain, and you knew that he was also grieving, although he wouldn't say it out loud._

_"I wish they would come back, I need them to come back Steve, please."_

_"Enough, you're drunk Y/N, stop trying to kill yourself slowly, they're gone alright? Buck's gone, Sam's gone, and you think they'd want you to be this mess wherever they are right now?"_

_"Steve, he was your bestfriend too, he was your–"_

_Steve smashed his lips against yours, as tears flowed out of your eyes like a dam. You didn't know why, but you tightened the grip over him, as he placed you on the bed and sat down next to you, the bed groaning as his weight pressed down on it._

_"I know, but it will be alright, I know it will."_

_Steve comforted you that night, and he held you in his arms as you cried your heart out. You didn't know till date how it happened, and how that night, one thing led to another, maybe it was the fact that you couldn't think straight over the alcohol that you had had, or the fact that the two of you wanted to distract yourself for a while, so you didn't have to feel the pain of that war again. It wasn't long before you were laying in bed, with Steve on top of you, his hands on either side of your face as he peppered the side of your neck with kisses. It wasn't long before you had your eyes clenched shut, your fists balling the fabric of your bedsheets as you cried out when your orgasm hit you hard, every time you felt Steve slide in and out of you, each thrust of his hitting you right where you wanted it to. It wasn't making love to you that night, it was broken, drunk sex where both of you needed respite._

_Little did you know and little did Steve think of the consequences, when you got pregnant with Samantha soon after._

_Weeks after the two of you found out that you were having a baby, Steve went down on one knee and proposed to you, and of course you said yes. Bucky wouldn't be coming back, and you loved Steve too, although not in the same way you loved Bucky, but you loved him enough to want to spend your life with him, and raise a baby with him._

You sat her on your soft plush bed, mounting a whole bunch of pillows around her as you fiddled through the contents of a box. You pulled out a bunch of photographs and smiled to yourself as you stared at them in a nostalgic way. You pulled Samantha into your lap, seating her tiny frame in front of you as you placed your head on the top side of her head, as you pointed at the photo and smiled, "Sam, look. That's your uncle Sam, yeah you got your nickname after him. He never really got to meet you baby, but had he met you, he would have loved you to death."

She giggled, her big blue eyes, like that of her dad's, and then her tiny index finger came to land on Bucky's photo. You didn't know that Steve was leaning by the door, watching the two of you as she asked her baby voice, "who mommy?"

"That's Bucky, love. Your daddy's best friend. He was a little rough around the edges, but you would have liked him." _The man you couldn't get to live your life with._

Steve suddenly cleared his throat, and your daughter giggled at the sight of him, throwing out her tiny arms towards him so he could take her. He walked up to the two of you and bent slightly, smiling at her as he engulfed her tiny body into his much gianter frame, and kissed her cheek, "How about daddy tucking you in today sweetheart?"

You couldn't stop the warm smile from draping over your lips. You three were an unconventional family, but you were a family and these two were everything to you now. You stepped closer, almost placing your hand on Steve's shoulder, while you kissed the other side of your daughter's head and nodded at Steve.

"You sure you're okay tucking her in? You've got to _uh_ , change her diapers as well babe," you gave him a tight lipped smile, more so because you were trying to suppress a chuckle that had formed inside at the thought. Although Steve was a great daddy, a hands on daddy, you still laughed at the way his nose scrunched up every time he tried changing Samantha's diaper.

"Leave it on me, I'm gonna clean this little one up and be back like the wind." He chuckled as you leaned forward, placing your lips against his and giving him a quick peck. 

"Dream on, Captain. _Let's see you try to come back like the wind."_

You watched them walk off, Steve baby talking with her in a goofy voice on his way out, leaving you alone with Bucky's photo still clutched tight in the grip of your hand.

You sighed, kneeling down as you scooped up your fat little tabby cat in your arms like a baby, and mumbled, "Guess it's just you and me for a while buddy, Steve's gonna have a hard time getting her to sleep. She's a fussy one, just like you and me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ A/N- I got emotional writing this chapter. 🥺💛 And hint, nope, this isn't the end for those rooting for Bucky and Y/N to be together. There's still hope. ]


	11. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N and Steve have their first fight and look at the timing, it's Christmas. What has gotten into Steve, and why doesn't he want to come clean and accept that there's something at the back of his mind ?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Minor Smut, Minor Angst, You and Steve have a fight, though it isn't that bad, but it is still a fight

  


Winters made you even lazier than you usually were, but you couldn't blame yourself when your husband had the knack of waking up at fucking 5 am even on a chilly winter morning to go out for an early morning run. You groaned and pulled the blankets over your face when someone switched on the lights in your bedroom. You were still in a state of semi sleep, when you heard your husband's soft voice on the phone, that caused you to flutter your eyes open, rubbing the remainder of your sleep away, your ears now trained to him speak on the phone. 

"Are you sure that's happened? I can't believe it. You know what? I'm on my way. I'll be there in around thirty minutes." 

All the sleep washed away, and you found yourself sitting up in bed, pulling the covers over until only your head was poking out. Steve saw that you were awake, through the mirror as his back was turned towards you. He disconnected the call, placing it on your vanity, as he walked up to his closet and began rummaging through his clothes. 

"Banner called." 

"Yeah?" You frowned, squinting your eyes.

"Scott's back from the quantum realm, and he is at the towers. I'm gonna go talk to him." He pulled out a shirt, laying it where you were sitting, and then his jeans as he pulled off his sweatpants, stripping until he was in his boxers, his hand grabbing the jeans. 

"Come on, Steve. You can't do this to me." You whined suddenly, your eyes scanning him over; giving him an appreciative lick of your lips, and he looked at you, smirking. Hurriedly, you got out of bed, rather clumsily, your leg getting entangled in the blanket, making you almost fall face first, if not for your super soldier saviour who saved your fall by just a whisk of his arm.

"Sorry doll, it's important to be there right now, I'm gonna make it up to it, I promise." 

You gave him a sullen look, and moved away, scoffing to yourself as you pulled off your robe to wrap around your frame. Now that you were up, you would rather go and check on Sam. 

"Come on babe, not even a _quickie_?" You bit your lip, your fingers balling the fabric of your robe, as you began playing around with its string, ignoring the groaning sound of your bed as Steve sat down against it and began putting his shoes on.

"I would have loved to, Mrs. Rogers, but I've got to be at the towers in– " his gaze fell on the alarm clock and then back at you, " _twenty three minutes_ now." 

"Fine, whatever, Steve, it's not like I am _dying_ to have you all to myself," sulking, you turned away, pushing yourself into the bathroom to brush your teeth, ignoring your husband who had by now followed you inside, and was leaning by the door. You squatted the toothpaste onto your brush, flinging it into your mouth, when Steve walked up to you and pinned you to the washbasin as he began grinding against you. 

"Come on, don't be like that. I'll be gone for a few hours tops, you can get Sam to sleep early tonight, and we can– " his husky, raspy voice send chills down your spine and you couldn't help but push your ass against him in a teasing way, as he reached for your earlobe, nipping it in a tantalising manner, at the same time while he began hiking up your robe to run his hand over the flesh of your bare thigh. You spit the paste into the washbasin and quickly cleaned up before you turned around to face him. 

"I would still prefer a quickie before she wakes up, Steve–" you breathed, before a jostling distraction pulled the two of you out of your little moment of intimacy. 

Your home was suddenly filled with the wails of your toddler. 

You hissed in frustration, not at your baby, but at the timing of her waking up, bringing your palms to your face and burying your face in your hands, trying to ignore the booming laughter of the man next to you as he grinded against you one last time before moving away, this time his boney index finger pressing against your side as he gave you a poke, "looks like your time is up, mommy." 

"Laugh all you want Rogers, you're lucky you got that damn call, it was your day to wake up and check on her today," you poked him back, and walked off the bedroom. 

* * *

"You like this, don't you? I can't believe you got your music taste from your father. Steve and jazz, they're inseparable," you chuckled to yourself as you shifted Samantha from one hip to another. Soft jazz music played through the living room and the fireplace kept the cottage warm. You waltzed all around the carpeted flooring, the pads of your feet gliding against the fur as you twirled around with her in tow. 

You had already fed her, but she was being stubborn, and didn't want to go to bed. 

"You wanna run around maybe?" You grinned, kissing the side of her plump little face, as you bent, placing her down, "Tire yourself a little?" She was dressed in a cute little primrose dress and those soft shoes kids wear, the ones that light up when they walk around and the sound coming out of them alert you off where they have wandered off to.

She began running around the living room, no wonder having inherited a lot of things from her father's super serum. She was faster, much faster than a one and a half year old usually was. Samantha was already running around and she hadn't even turned one that time, no wonder it was the super serum which was causing her cells to strengthen and multiply at a much faster rate. You fished out your cellphone, frowning slightly when you saw that Steve hadn't called you yet, and it was already ten, when you lifted your eyes absentmindedly and saw Sam wobbling around in circles around the Christmas tree that stood in a corner, excitement dripping from her eyes before she ended up falling on her padded bottom. You gasped, and were about to run towards her, not wanting her to start crying, when she began laughing, followed by a massive hippo like yawn. 

"Tired now?" You grinned before you hoisted her up and cradled her slightly before letting her rest her head against your shoulder as you dialled Steve's number. 

_**Meanwhile at the Avengers Towers,** _

"So you're saying, you can actually time travel using the Quantum realm?" Steve placed his palm against the table, looking at Scott, who moved his gaze from Captain to Tony, and then back to him, nodding. 

"I was gone five years, but it was just five hours." 

Steve craned his neck towards Stark, and Stark raised an eyebrow. He had a hunch that the Captain was thinking exactly what he had in his mind, only he had Pepper and Morgan to think about. 

"Don't even think about it, Cap', I know what you are thinking, but you've got a wife and a daughter back home that you got to think of," he gave Steve a look of warning, but he knew that his words weren't having the effect on him. Steve Grant Rogers was the most stubborn man he had ever come across, except himself of course. 

"We can bring Peter back, Tony," Steve began.

"Great, he now plays the emotional blackmail card. Why does he always get away with it?" Tony mumbled, shaking his head as he pushed himself into a chair, and let out a sigh, when Steve's phone began ringing. 

He pulled out his phone, looking at the screen, and when he saw that it was just you calling, he turned off the ringer and even the vibrate mode, sliding it back into his pocket. 

"So, you're in?" He asked, swiping his palm over his face; as Tony nodded. 

"I'm doing it for Peter, he's a good kid, and you?" Tony raised a brow. 

"For them all Tony, for Buck, and for Sam."

_He didn't say it out loud, and neither did he need to, but a part of him was doing it for Peggy too, so he could just see her once again._

A few hours later, after monitoring on the progress that Banner and Tony were making on coming up with the blueprint of the time machine, he finally found a moment to be alone. Filling up his coffee mug to a brim, he stepped into the lounge and lowered himself on the lonely looking couch. 

He pulled out his phone, flicking it to his ear as he waited for you to pick up. 

"Steve, you said you'll be back home." Not even one full ring later, you had already received the phone, making Steve suddenly feel guilty. This only meant that you were waiting for him to call, or were probably worried he hadn't received the call before. 

Now, there was a silence on the other end, but he knew you were there for he could hear the sound of your faint breathing. 

"I'm sorry, something's come up, Y/N. I think I won't be coming home for a few days–" 

"Are you serious, Steve? It's Christmas tomorrow," he could feel your heart shatter on the other side of the phone; the hurt and the coldness in your voice as brittle reminder that he had fucked up. He had forgotten, and he had no intention of hurting you like that. It wasn't your fault, and you were right; it was Christmas, and when he should have been at home, with his family, spending Christmas, he was here, ransacking his brains off in trying to come up with a way to go back in time again, and change the things that had happened, and how they had happened. 

He clenched his eyes shut, cursing himself mentally when you abruptly disconnected the call, and he slid the phone into his pocket again, while you kept looking at that phone, _waiting_ for him to call you again and to say that he was sorry, and that he was coming home. But _he didn't_ , and your phone didn't even ring once after that. 

* * *

You woke up early the next day, or you could say that you hardly slept. You checked your phone once again, and once again the pang inside your chest was back, when you saw that Steve hadn't even bothered to send you a text or an SMS. You wanted to curl up in bed again, and try to fall back into a deep slumber, but you didn't want your baby to end up not experiencing the joys of a Christmas morning just because her mother was feeling a little blue. Oh the things you had planned. The first thing you had planned to do was surprise Steve first, with the hand knitted sweater that you had knitted yourself, just for him, as a Christmas present. It was white, with red little reindeer patterns on it. 

Now that Steve wasn't here, you felt like curling up in bed again, but you knew you couldn't.

_So what if Steve wasn't home_? You were home with Samantha and you were going to bake her a plum cake today, and open up a lot of presents and not think about Steve, at all. You were going to celebrate Christmas with her, make her day special, and it didn't matter whether Steve was coming home or not.

You pushed yourself out of bed, pulling on your comforter and a warm woollen cap on top of your head. You then dragged yourself into the bathroom to quickly get done with the morning necessities before Samantha actually woke up. You were almost done with your brush when you heard a faint sound of her muffled wailing in the other room so you began hurrying up and spitting the paste into the washbasin. 

Wiping the corners of your mouth with a hand towel, you stepped out of the bathroom, your eyebrows slightly shooting upwards when you heard only silence in the house, and no sound of Sam's crying whatsoever. 

You tiptoed across the hallway, your arms wrapped around the side of the body as you fervently rubbed the chills away. You were a few steps away from the nursery, when you heard your daughter giggling inside and you gasped in shock, and adrenaline. Someone was in there with her. Steve and you had had this talk, that once she was born, it was likely that enemies will come after her, just because she was a super soldier baby, which is why the two of you had settled down at the cottage which was in the middle of nowhere, and was a highly secure place. However, the way your daughter was giggling, there was _definitely_ someone _in there_ with her. 

You immediately placed your hand on the most closest object you could find. You didn't have the time to run back into your room and pull out the gun that Steve kept in the house, for security purposes. Lucky for you, it was a candle stand. Curling your fingers against the iron candle stand, you flung open the door, almost ready to hit whoever it was who was trying to hurt your baby.

The candle stand dropped from your hand with a loud clatter, when you saw him, tears of panic and anger filling up your eyes. 

"Steve? _What the hell_?" 

Steve was on the floor with Samantha perched between his thighs, and the two of them were in the process of opening the Christmas presents when you barged in through that door, with a candle stand in your hand, raised in the air. 

"Y/N? Baby? Hey it's me." He gave you a panicked look when he saw you, his eyes contorting in worry, as he saw your face; it was as if you had seen a ghost, "I'm sorry, it's just me."

"Just.." you breathed out, trying to calm your sudden erratic breathing, as you looked at Sam, and then at Steve, "I need a moment Steve." 

You stepped out instantly, shutting the door behind you and pressed yourself to the wall. Hot chunks of tears were now rolling down your cheeks and you could feel your heartbeat flicker and race. You had been so scared, and it was just Steve. You slowly rolled down, like a crumpled mess on the floor, spreading out your legs in front of you and buried your face into your palms, letting out a sniffle when you heard the door open, and Steve stepped out, his eyes falling down on your form, his arm holding your babbling daughter on his hip. 

He didn't say anything, and you were thankful for it. He did sit down next to you though, placing Samantha on the floor next to you, watching as she crawled into your lap and began playing with the fabric of your comforter, tugging at the neck of it. You were forced to pull yourself together and wipe your tears when you saw her, and then Steve. 

He still didn't say anything, as he moved to sit just next to you, so now the side of the two of you was brushing against each others, and you pressed Samantha close to you and planted a kiss on top of her head as you whispered, "Merry Christmas, sweetheart." 

"Merry Christmas, mommy!" She cooed back, and you smiled softly, realising how just one touch of your daughter and your tears had stopped. 

The three of you stayed like that for a few more seconds before Steve leaned towards you slightly, and you felt him rest his head against you, his hand trying to entwine his fingers with your hand. You sighed, lifting your hand up and placing it right over his, giving him the access to your hand as he tightened his fingers around yours, "I'm sorry I scared you. I should have called but I didn't want to wake you up, I thought you would be sleeping, doll."

"And I thought you were working Steve, and that you weren't coming home today," You whispered, looking down at your hand that was in Steve's.

He blinked, before clearing his throat, his voice low and raspy as he spoke, "I was working–" he pinched his nose, "–but it's Christmas and _I wanted to be with my girls._ "

* * *

**_Two weeks later,_ **

The day was finally over; the day well spent with your family. The three of you spent most of the day outdoors, playing around in the snow. Steve and Samantha got away with it, with the super serum running in their veins; they were immune to the cold, but you weren't. So now here you were, tucked into bed, sneezing into the tissues, with Steve rubbing circles on your temples to help you deal with the consequences of your little tryst in the snow. 

The two of you had finally put Samantha to bed, and had retired into the bedroom, a new pendant now dancing down your neckline, a replica of what looked like dog tags, Steve's Christmas present to you.

You now sat together; your head resting against his chest, his chest moving up and down in the most peaceful manner, his thick arms blanketing your body as he stared at the ceiling, lost in his own thoughts. 

"A penny for your thoughts?" You whispered in a low voice, not wanting to startle him as he looked distracted. 

"There's a mission coming up, I didn't want to ruin your mood and tell you about it now, Y/N," he said in a low voice, his index drawing circles over the side of your face, over your cheeks. You groaned as you felt a sneeze come in, and grabbed the tissue box, sneezing into one of the tissues, before collapsing into him again. 

"How long will you be gone for?" You asked weakly, feeling him tighten his grip over you and begin rubbing your arms to give you some warmth. You could feel a fever incoming, and the chills were beginning to wreck you. 

"I don't know doll, could take _months_. Or _weeks_. We have to go to New York, well _I in specific_. The others all have their individual missions lined up." 

"Okay, Steve," Although you could feel that Steve was hiding some bit of information from you, you really didn't have the energy to ask. Steve was, in fact, hiding the most important thing of it all. _Yes, he was going to New York, but he was going to New York in 2012. The time machine was ready, and tomorrow, they were all leaving, each of them to a different place in order to retrieve the stones and change what had happened._


End file.
